LoP Debabrata Saikia slams Kapil Sibal for claiming Assam was part of Myanmar

Guwahati: Leader of opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA) Debabrata Saikia on Saturday (December 9) slammed senior advocate Kapil Sibal over his statement in the Supreme Court that Assam was once a part of Myanmar.

In a letter to Sibal, the Congress MLA from Nazira Assembly constituency said that such a statement from a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a representative of the Indian Parliamentarian is unfortunate as it has hurt the pride and prestige of Assam.   

“I would like to bring to your notice that you have put before the Supreme Court that Assam was part of Myanmar during a hearing on a petition challenging the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act of 1955. You have been a distinguished senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a parliamentarian of outstanding calibre, this incorrect representation of Assam's history is very unfortunate and it has hurt the pride and prestige of Assam,” Saikia wrote.

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Saikia also said that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) might have provided Sibal with incorrect information about Assam history and his team failed to cross-check the data before presentation.

“It seems the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and AAMSU might have provided you with incorrect information about Assam history and your team has failed to cross-check the data before presentation,” Saikia added.

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Saikia also said that though Assam had been invaded by several forces over centuries, it was never a vassal or a colony to an external power.

“The history of Assam is the history of a confluence of the Austroasiatic, Tibeto Burman (Sino-Tibetan), Tai and Indo-Aryan cultures. The Ahom kingdom ruled Assam for six centuries and unified Assam. Although invaded over centuries, it was never a vassal or a colony to an external power until the third Burmese invasion in 1821, and subsequently the British ingress into Assam in 1824 during the first Anglo-Burmese war. The colonial era began with the establishment of British control after the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. Therefore, Assam was never a part of Myanmar and this comment from a senior statesman like you has hurt the pride and emotion of the indigenous people of Assam,” wrote Saikia.

Saikia urged upon Kapil Sibal to withdraw his statement and seek a public apology before the people of Assam for misrepresenting the state’s history.

“In view of this, I request you to kindly withdraw the statement and render a public apology before the public of Assam for misrepresentation of Assam’s glorious history,” Saikia further wrote in his letter.

During a hearing on multiple petitions on December 5 this year challenging the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act of 1955, Sibal allegedly said that Assam was once a part of Myanmar.