Assam CM And Rakesh Dwivedi Among Those Who Refuted Claim By Kapil Sibal & Indira Jaising Before Apex Court That Assam Was Originally Part Of Myanmar

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi have refuted the claim of Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising before the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court that Assam was a part of Myanmar.

During the hearing on Thursday before the Bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Surya Kant, Justice MM Sundresh, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, Kapil Sibal while arguing in support of the impugned provision, Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955, had submitted that Assam was originally a part of Myanmar and was taken back in 1824. The Petitioners had argued that migration had resulted in a demographic change in the state, regulating in violation of the rights of the indigenous population. Sibal made the remarks while responding to that submission.

"Migration of peoples and populations is embedded in history. It cannot be mapped. No migration can ever be mapped. And if you look at the history of Assam, you will realize that it's impossible to figure out who came when. Assam originally was a part of Myanmar and it was way back in 1824 after the British conquered a part of it that a treaty was entered into, by which Assam was handed over to the British", Sibal has submitted.

Sibal had also submitted, "So, this interaction between the Ahom people, who are the original inhabitants of that part of Assam that was taken away from Myanmar, integrated with non-Ahom people".

Along similar lines, Advocate Indira Jaising had also submitted that "Assam was part of Burma, actually, and then ceded to India under 17 a treaty with the Burmese".

Responding to queries by journalists about the said submissions before the Apex Court, the Assam CM said, "Those who do not have any knowledge of history should not speak some things. Assam was never a part of Myanmar. During Ahom rule, people from Myanmar had a clash with Assam and Assam was occupied by Myanmar for around one to one and a half months. I have not seen data showing that Assam was part of Myanmar at any time".

"Sibal is wrong. Historically, known as Kamrup. Since 1228 the region was ruled by Ahom Kings and came to be known as Assam. Burma King invaded in 1817, but lost Assam it by 1827. British government made it a separate Province in 1874. Burma was separated from India on April 1937", Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The Minister of Water Resources of Assam also responded to the submissions before the Supreme Court. He posted on X that Kapil Sibal "has been poorly briefed & speaks a left liberal view that tends to alienate North East by conjuring such theories. At no point of Assam’s history, we were part of Myanmar. From times of Mahabharat & before, we have firmly been an integral part of Bharatvarsh".

The hearing of the matter will continue on Wednesday when the Petitioners will make submissions in rejoinder.