The Word Assamese has become a threat to Indigenous Tribal.

The word Assamese should not exist, as we refer the history there is no community or tribe known as Assamese it is only another state nationality given by some conservative political organizations for vote banks and selfish mileage. Today this same term 'Assamese' has become a threat to the language, customs, traditions and belief of indigenous tribal.

Living in India we have only one citizenship i.e. 'Indian' and Assam is only demarcation of place or area, Article 15 of the Constitution provides that the State should not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. Single citizenship is a great step forward in the creation of a united and integrated India. According to M. V. Pylee, “the provision of single citizenship is a great step forward in the creation of an integrated Indian society.
As a result, the citizens of India are clothed with common civil and political rights all over the country. A single citizenship for the entire country removes much of the artificial State barriers that prevailed in pre- independence days and facilitates the freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse throughout the territory of India”.

But, the Asam Sahitya Sabha has violated the constitution by terming people living in Assam as Assamese. Consider all those people as Assamese who, irrespective of community, language, religion and place of origin, who accept Assamese as their mother tongue or either their second or third language.
Which only gives emphasis to a particular language neglecting the indigenous tribal languages and endangering them. There are many people in Assam who can only speak their native language.
Recently, the govt. of Assam has printed the NRC forms only in Assamese, Bengali and English, which is and insult to Bodo tribal population of about 30 lakhs. This awful sense of isolation where the forms available in the entire state are only in English, Assamese and Bengali is an insult. More than 30 lakhs of Bodos in the entire state who can read and write in Bodo language will be bewildering at the forms, large group of community would be deprived of using the language listed within the 8th schedule. Such an injustice was only possible with their negligence and to impose their language and culture. Presently, NRC (National Register of Citizens) form printed in Bodo language for BTAD region is proposed by the Govt. of Assam, after the demand raised by ABSU (All Bodo Student Union) and the people of proposed Bodoland. *(Bodo language is included in the 8th schedule of Indian Constitution)

We do not have dual citizenship system in India to introduce a new term ASSAMESE as a state nationality. We are only Indians and we are known by our own tribe and race within India. We do not need the term Assamese to claim for our rights, we can directly mention indigenous people of Assam if we want it for claiming rights without mixing them as it is the proper way of safeguarding the endangered languages and cultures of different tribes. We have a strong historical background to proof our origin, it is totally baseless to say "Definition of Assamese is required as per clause-6 of Assam accord" only a lost tribe or an illegal immigrant will stick to it as they can't prove their origin.

Assam is a state where people can not live with dignity without identity, and as many independent and popular tribes have grown strong from past decade with their own councils they try to break our unity with all sorts of unacceptable definitions and conditions, please do not be the victims of those traitors.. STOP DIVIDING INDIA!

By Thomas Basumatary

Youth Ambassador,
Global Volunteer Network (GVN) Foundation