Congress leader writes to Assam CM on ‘separate State’ barb

AHSEC chief allegedly asked people of Barak Valley to secede if unwilling to learn Assamese

A former Congress MP has sought action against the chairman of Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) for allegedly asking the people of Bengali-dominated Barak Valley to secede if unwilling to learn the Assamese language. In a letter to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday, All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev said AHSEC chairman Dayananda Borgohain’s remark was unacceptable and discriminatory. She also forwarded a video of his “controversial” statement in a tweet tagging the Chief Minister. Referring to a notification of the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) on students opting for the Assamese language as the seventh subject, Mr. Borgohain allegedly said people in Barak Valley must live in a separate State if they do not want to learn Assamese.