To, Date: 18/10/2012

Smt Sonia GandhiHon’ble President, All India Congress Committee,10, Janpath, New Delhi

Respected Madam,

With due respect, I lay before you the following few lines for your active consideration.

In recent times, all the newspapers and news channels of Assam have been flashing around news about the ongoing violence in its various regions. Ethnic clashes have been ever present in Assam. Many different reasons have been cited behind the various clashes of Assam, few being, illegal immigration, illiteracy, communal tensions, political profits, etc. Even though these issues are also responsible but in the midst of all these, one of the strongest reason has gotten lost. This fact cannot be dismissed that students’ organizations have been an integral part of Assam from time immemorial.

But in Assam, there are also various students’ organizations of different ethnic groups which are not of any educational institutions such as AASU, AAMSU, ABSU, AKRSU and many more. Their leaders are far from being students and are often seen aged around 40-50 years. The main objective, behind the formation of students’ organizations, apart from nurturing future leaders for the country, is to bridge the gap between the students and the general mass. What is the point of heading a students’ organization if one is not a student oneself? And more importantly, some splinter groups from these unregistered students’ organizations, form militant outfits acquiring unlicensed arms. The striking example being the ULFA, formed out of AASU, during the famous Assam Movement (1979-1985) which was led by AASU. These types of organizations have, from time to time, started movements with some illogical demands and often these movements lead to violence due to the participation of the militant groups. The recent ethnic clashes in Kokrajhar district was the outcome of the attack on two AAMSU leaders by ABSU backed militant organization.

There was a time when campus violence was in uproar in most of the colleges and universities of India. One important cause behind all these violence was identified to be the leadership of aged students. In order to control all such campus violence, the Lyngdoh Committee was formed, who, apart from various other logical suggestions, also proposed the age limit, for the leaders of all students’ organizations, to be of maximum 25 years, and the Honorable Supreme Court upheld it. After the proposal was passed, campus violence reduced to a great amount. But the Lyngdoh Committee report was limited only to the educational institutions. Hence, the various ethnic students’ organizations of Assam weren’t a part of it. Thus, these students’ organizations, behave as unregistered political parties leading to violent ethnic clashes. I believe that if these organizations are controlled then ethnic clashes can be reduced to a great extent. But one cannot impose blanket ban upon them since they have been operating from a long time. Any attempt to ban them may lead to different kinds of violence. Therefore, I feel that these students’ organizations can be controlled by extending the provision of the Lyngdoh Committee report, so far as the upper age limit is concerned. If this can be done then these organizations will go under the leadership of actual students, which, in my opinion, will decrease these clashes as these students are far from caste discrimination.

As a humble member of the esteemed party, I have, hence put forward my opinion.

Thanking you Yours faithfully,

Ph: (0361) 2571207 ( Dr Prafulla Kumar Deka ) (+91) 9435108307 House No 38, Bye Lane No 5,

AEC Road, SundarbariJalukbari, Guwahati –

14, Assam

Copy to: Shri Digvijaya Singh, Ex-CM, General Secretary, AICC & i/c Assam, 64 Lodhi Estate, New Delhi- 110003, for information and consideration.