Question

Answer the following question.
What was the Centre’s response to the Assam agitation?

Answer 1

 With the situation turning violent day by day the Parliament had to take some stringent measures.

The Parliament passed the Illegal Immigrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act (IM-DT) in October 1983 and put it into effect in Assam.

There were negotiations between the government and AASU-AAGSPO during the later parts of 1984 and early 1985. Official talks began in May 1985′, where the Home Secretary led the central government team. Several rounds of talks were held in various months.

In the beginning, the Assam coalition government wanted the immigrants from the 1961-71 war to be removed to other parts of the country. However, by August 1985, it was decided that all the illegal immigrants who had entered Assam till January 1966 were to be identified, deported and defranchised for 10 years.

This agitation finally came to an end in August, 1985 with ‘Assam Accord’, which was signed by the leaders of AASU-AAGSP and the Government of India in the presence of the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.