323 Half-an-hour [ RAJYA SABHA ] Discussion 324 [Shri Maqsood Ali Khanl' tion has to be there. So this kind of dis- crimination is to be there and it will exist and nobody can resist it. (Time-bell rings). 6 P. M. SHRI DINESH GOSWAMI: Madam, I Half-an-hour Discussion on point arising have a point about how they are treating the out of answer to unstarred Questions 536 Half-an-hour Discussion on such an important given on the 28th July, 1983 regarding Re- subject. The Cabinet Minister, Mr. Sethi, starting of negotiations with the Assam, should have been here. I have no disrespect agitation leaders. for Mr. Laskar. THE VICE-CHAIRMAN [DR. (SHRI THE VICE-CHAIRMAN [DR. (SHRI- MATI) NAJMA HEPTULLA]: You MATI) NAJMA HEPTULLA]: Mr. Laskar continue afterwards. Now we will take up the comes from that area arid he knows better, I Half-an-hour Discussion arising out of the think. answer given in the Rajya Sabha on the 28th July, 1983 to Unstarred Question No. 536, SHRI DINESH GOSWAMI: That does not regarding restarting of negotiations with the make him the Cabinet Minister. About this Assam agitation leaders. I have before me aspect, I thought I would put my protest and eight names. You will speak, then the say that the Cabinet Minister ought t<J have Minister will speak, and then, I believe, all Been here. those eight Members will speak. I do not SHRI SHRtDHAR WASUDEO DHABE know how long the Half-an-hour Discussion (Maharashtra): I support what Mr. Dinesh will get stretched. Then after the Half-an-hour Goswltai is saying. It is a very serious matter. Discussion there is a statement on Punjab. I think that is equally important. SHRI DINESH GOSWAMI (Assam): It gets prolonged. THE VICE-CHAIRMAN [DR. (SHRI- MATI) NAJMA HEPTULLA]; I have no objection so long as everybody is agreeable. (Interruptions) I just lake one minute out of the half-an-hour. To me, it means half-an- hour. SHRI DINESH GOSWAMI: But ii does not work. THE VICE-CHAIRMAN [DR (SHRI- MATI) NAJMA HEPTULLA]': To me half-an-hour means half an hour. That is what the rule says. (Interruptions) O.K. We have on occasions stretched it. But, so long as I am sitting ?n ihe Chair, I try to see that it d6es That I would do. Promised. I would convey not. I would .request Members not to make your views to the Minister. Let us start. speeches because Mr. Sharma will male "his contribution y nd" then the Minister will, give SHRI AJIT KUMAR SHARMA his intensive reply. So you just try to ask (Assam): Madsfm Vice-Chairman, first of all, questions only. let me frankly say that the very absence of the UrifbiTHome Minister, the Cabinet Minister, in this discussion shows that the Government ■ ■ »a ' -*v does not seriously want to come To a settlement of the Assam problem. 1 record my prolyl against his absence in this discussion. 325 Half-an-hour [ 25 AUG. 1983 ] Discussion 326 Now, Madam, on 28th of July, three without revision of the electoral rolls. Then questions were answered by fife Home on the 7th of January when the leaders of the Minister on the Assam issue. And with Assam movement returned from the particular reference to the resumption of. negotiation table, tfiey were all arrested at the talks, the Home Minister stated that the doors Gauhati Airport, thereby the Government are open. Now, what this open door policy of deliberately starting a new phase of the Government of India, and especially of the confrontation. Home Ministry? TJoes it mean that the Home And, thereafter, what happened in Assam is Minister keeps the doors of his house open and anybody can enter his drawing room a long story of extensive measures of without any invitation? f would like the repression and oppression, tactics to divide the Minister tP clarify. people on communal and religious lines and of a calculated campaign to incite religious Now, Madam, I would be very brief; and to and linguistic violence and communal ism save time, I will just put only the points that I among different sections of the people. This want to make here. I have raised this was done with the calculation of winning the discussion to know from the Home Minister election in an atmosphere of tension and con- the real intention of the Union Government flict. There is no doubt that through all these about the solution of the foreigners problem, measures the Home Minister has achieved his for which the people of Assam have been main object of installing a Government of his struggling for four years and have sacrificed party in Assam, of course, at the cost of* more than 200 young men and women to the thousands of lives of the Slate. police bullets, and about 4,000 people at the Madam, the report of this election in Assam alter of bloody election that was imposed on published by the Election Commission the people. The Home Minister's answers to recently remains a standing proof of the fact my questions on resumption of the that the February election ^jn Assam was negotiations on the Assam talks, about the undesirable, that it was illegal and tribunals to detect foreigners, about repression unconstitutional and that it was against all throughout the State, have given no national interest of the Country. The 60-page information to enlighten the House on this document of the Election Commission is a issue but rather made an attempt to avoid an further proof that a wholesale disaster answer and hide the mind of the Government. envelopes the country when the statutory This is the most regrettable part of the Home authority of the Election Commission allows Minister's attitude in this matter. itself to be a -willing handmaid of the ruling Madam, the last* round of the discussions party in Delhi. was held by the Government with the leaders Madam, I refer to another document to of the Assam movement on the 5th of January show that the real intention of the this year. The participants left the negotiation Government is not to hammer out a solution table With an assurance from the Home at the discussion table but to suppress the Minister that the negotiations would be people's movement for a getv-nine cause by resumed very soon. But the events' since then maligning and misrepresenting it. This have shown that the Home Minister's assurances cannot be taken at their face value. booklet is entitled: "Assam Events in After the 5th of January the Government was Perspective". Madam, I demand that the found to move in the direction opposite of External Affairs Ministry should supply a negotiation and peaceful solution. On the very copy of this booklet to every Member of next day, that is on the 6th of January, Parliament so that he can come to know, how elections in Assam were announced contrary our Government is functioning, how our to the earlier declarations in this House not Government is maligning our own citizens in only By the'Home Minister but also by the the foreign lands and how the Home Ministry Law Minister that no elections in Assam has done a tremendous harm to the country. would be held without removal of the names ihis booklet entitled "Assam Events in Pers- of foreigners and pective", printed in English, Arabic. 327 Half-an-hour [ RAJYA SABHA ] Discussion 328 [Shri Ajit Kumar Sharaa] ing against the people of Assam and that is Persian and Japanese and circulated to all why there has been no solution of this foreign countries, is full of untruths, half- problem up till now. The Home Ministry is truths and malice and a total misrepresentation interested only in suppressing the people in of the people of Assam and their struggle for order to bring in more people from existence. The Government of India's action in Bangladesh and ultimately annihilate the publishing this booklet amounts to fighting a entire Assamese society there. This is the war against an enemy country in Assam. May sinister game that the Home Minister is I tell the Home Minister that by doing this, the playing. That is why I demand that the Government is only cutting up its own nose to Government of India must come out with a spite its face. By using all sorts of intemperate full statement as to why this particular booklet language as false charges against the Assam has been issued to different foreign countries. movement, the Government has only Now in this booklet a reference has been succeeded in expressing its own guilty made to the killing of Mr. Paratha-sarthy, who conscience in the pages of this booklet. On the was a Commissioner there, and it is said in this 19th instant in this very House, while replying booklet that the peple of the movement have to a question of mine on this booklet, the killed him. I want to know from the Home External Affairs Minister admitted that the Minister: does he have proof? It is still in the booklet was prepared by the Home Ministry court. There is no proof because nobody and that his Ministry published and circulated knows. If I say that the Government or the it at the instance of the Home Ministry. I Chief Minister or the IGP has killed this would like to know the intention of the Home particular person, that will be equally valid like Ministry on this point because possibly this is this allegation that the movement people have the first booklet published by the Government killed him.