Guwahati, 27th September: Congress leader Ripun Bora has criticized Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of leveraging the Assam Accord for political gain in the lead-up to the 2026 Assembly elections. Bora, addressing the media on Thursday, expressed skepticism about Sarma’s recent push for the implementation of Clause 6 of the Accord, labeling it a “political gimmick” aimed at retaining power.
The Assam Accord, signed in 1985, seeks to safeguard the rights and interests of Assam’s Indigenous population. Clause 6, a critical component of the Accord, guarantees constitutional, legislative, and administrative safeguards to protect the cultural and social heritage of the Assamese people. Congress, being one of the original signatories to the Accord under the leadership of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has long supported its implementation.
Bora emphasized that while the Congress party remains committed to the Assam Accord “in both letter and spirit,” he accused the state government of delaying the process. He pointed out that the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma Committee, constituted to recommend measures for the implementation of Clause 6, submitted its report over three years ago. Despite assurances from Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the recommendations would be acted upon, no concrete steps have been taken, according to Bora.
“The Chief Minister has only recently taken up the matter due to the approaching 2026 Assembly elections,” Bora alleged. He further claimed that Sarma’s sudden push to implement the Assam Accord is a reaction to the growing concern within the government about losing public support in the upcoming elections.
Bora also noted that while the Assam Government claims progress on the committee’s recommendations, the report has yet to be forwarded to the central government. This delay, he argued, calls into question the sincerity of the state’s commitment to protecting the rights of Assam’s Indigenous communities.
The Congress leader’s statements reflect growing political tension as the state approaches the next electoral cycle, with the Assam Accord and Clause 6 emerging as a critical issue for both the government and opposition.