Question

Discuss the course of movements started by AAGSP.

Answer 1

The All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) was a mass political platform that worked alongside the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in leading the Assam Movement (1979–1985) against illegal immigration.

1. Formation and Alliance with AASU: The AAGSP was formed to give a wider political base to the students’ agitation. It coordinated with AASU to turn the students’ protests into a mass movement involving peasants, workers, and political groups.
2. Boycott of Mangaldoi By-election (1979): When the voters’ list in the Mangaldoi constituency showed large numbers of illegal immigrants, the AAGSP supported AASU’s demand to postpone the election until the names of foreigners were deleted. This marked the beginning of AAGSP’s active role in the movement.
3. Statewide Bandh (December 1979): On 10 December 1979, AAGSP, together with AASU, called for a statewide bandh and organized mass picketing to prevent candidates from filing nomination papers. This was a turning point in escalating the agitation.
4. Expansion of the Agitation (1980–82): Under the joint leadership of AASU and AAGSP, the movement spread across Assam through strikes, rallies, and mass demonstrations. Their slogan was “Detection, Deletion, and Deportation” of foreigners who had entered Assam after the cut-off year.
5. Election Boycott and Violence (1983): AAGSP gave a call to boycott the 1983 elections, claiming that the electoral rolls were filled with foreign nationals. This led to large-scale violence, the most tragic being the Nellie Massacre (1983), where thousands of people were killed.
6. Negotiations with the Centre: The Government of India held several talks with the AASU–AAGSP leadership. The deadlock was mainly over the cut-off date for detecting foreigners: AASU–AAGSP insisted on 1951, while the Centre proposed 1971.
7. Assam Accord (1985): Finally, after prolonged negotiations, the Assam Accord was signed on 15 August 1985 between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the leaders of AASU–AAGSP. It was agreed that foreigners entering Assam after 25 March 1971 would be detected and deported. This marked the end of the six-year-long agitation.