GUWAHATI, Dec 11: The Assam government on Friday released two volumes of a database on the six-year-long Assam Agitation and launched a Rs 5 crore corpus fund for the families affected by the agitation.
Speaking at a “shradhanjali” programme here organised by the Assam Accord Implementation Department on the occasion of “Swahid Divas”, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the sacrifices and heroism of more than 850 martyrs of the Assam Agitation would continue to inspire the people of the state to embark on a new economic and political movement for the survival of the Assamese community.
Coinciding with the occasion, Sarma released the second and third volumes of the database on Assam Agitation titled “Asom Andolonor Tathyakosh”.
Launching the corpus fund, the chief minister said that efforts would be made to enhance the fund up to Rs 50 crore with support from public and private contribution.
He also announced that along with the Swahid Smarak Park at Paschim Boragaon, the state government would set up a memorial project at the agitation’s first martyr, Khargeswar Talukdar’s birthplace, Bhabanipur covering an area of 100 bigha land.
The chief minister observed that in spite of the sacrifices of several hundred youths during the movement, the Assamese community was still unsafe. “The Assamese community has lost economic power and their political authority is greatly challenged today,” he said and appealed to the people to introspect at this critical juncture to make the community stronger.
Sarma urged the people to unite for safeguarding the language, art and culture and land rights of the Assamese people.
“The state government has been making unrelenting efforts to boost harmony within the community. Eviction at Gorukhuti in Sipajhar and the agricultural revolution thereafter is the beginning of a new movement for regaining the rights of the Assamese,” he said.