Activist and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on Wednesday demanded the implementation of the Article 370-like provision in Assam for the "Constitutional safeguard" of the indigenous people of the state.
"We have demanded the Center to implement (provisions like) Article 370 or 371 (A), 371 (F) 371 (J) in Assam to give Constitutional safeguard to the people of the state. The indigenous people of the state will not be safe until Article 370 or 371 (A) like safeguards are implemented," Raijor Dal president said.
Article 370 acknowledges the special status of the state in terms of autonomy and its ability to formulate laws for the state's permanent residents. Until a few years back, Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed this special status.
Article 371 states that no act of Parliament shall apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of the religious or social practices of the Nagas, its customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law and ownership and transfer of land and its resources.
Opposing 100 per cent revision of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the lone MLA said that it should happen on partial revision instead. "The 100 per cent revision of the NRC is undemocratic, unconstitutional. The NRC is just an issue for the BJP. They have no agenda to give safeguard to the indigenous people of Assam," Gogoi said. He also said that the BJP and RSS are working only for creating a Hindu Rashtra. "Their agenda is against the Constitution of India, diversity of the country. Repeated attack on the minority people is not good for the country or the democracy. There should be a debate before implementing Uniform Civil Code," the MLA said.
Further, Gogoi said that the government should work for the development of indigenous Muslims of the state, and "not divide the Muslims". "Everybody knows who are the indigenous Muslims and who are the migrated Muslims. We don't want any division," he added.
Meanwhile, on May 1 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stressed the need to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and said that the law should be implemented in the greater interest of Muslim women otherwise polygamy would continue.
( With inputs from ANI )
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