New land laws could lead to disenfranchisement of indigenous people: AJP

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 31, 2024

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has expressed serious concerns about the sincerity and integrity of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his government, especially about the recently enacted land laws.

The AJP has questioned the intentions behind these laws, suggesting that they may not adequately protect the rights and interests of indigenous communities.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, AJP general secretary Jagdish Bhuyan and vice president Chandrakant Das claimed that the measures introduced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which are purportedly designed to protect the land rights of indigenous people, could actually lead to their disenfranchisement.

“These new land laws may undermine the very rights they intend to safeguard, potentially resulting in further marginalization of Indigenous communities,” they said.

Das, a retired IAS officer and expert on land laws has expressed significant discontent with the new legislation passed in the last session of the Assam Assembly and argued that these laws, rather than safeguarding the rights of indigenous farmers, might actually facilitate the transfer of land from these local farmers to large capitalists.

Das contended that the legislation could undermine the rights it was intended to protect, potentially leading to the displacement of indigenous communities and the concentration of land in the hands of wealthy investors.

Das highlighted a historical context in which regulations dating back to British colonial times prevented large industrialists from purchasing land from indigenous farmers in Assam. “Traditionally, such transactions required prior approval from the District Commissioner to protect local interests. However, he criticized recent amendments to the Registration Act made by the BJP government, which have removed these safeguards,” Das said.

“These changes could now allow anyone, including foreign entities, to purchase land in Assam with minimal oversight. This removal of regulatory protections raises concerns about the potential exploitation of indigenous lands and the loss of control over local resources,” he said.

“If the AJP comes to power in the future, we will revoke these amendments and restore the previous land protection measures,” Das stated.

He added that the government’s failure to implement the Biplab Sharma Committee’s recommendations, which proposed constitutional mechanisms to protect the social and political interests of Assamese people, reveals a hidden agenda against the Assamese community.

Bhuyan criticized the Chief Minister’s claim that Assamese civilization is under threat, questioning how, after 33 years in power, Himanta Biswa Sarma could allow such a situation to arise.

“If Assamese civilization is disappearing, isn’t it a reflection of his own failure?” Bhuyan asked.

The AJP leaders concluded by accusing the government of engaging in a conspiracy against the indigenous people of Assam, warning that the current policies could lead to an irreversible loss of land rights for the state’s indigenous communities.