Gauhati University AASU Unit

character of AASU which helps it to embrace students from all the communities whose homeland is Assam, to command confidence and support a society which is a mixture of unity and diversity.The Central Executive, the supreme body of the AASU consists of members elected by the students as per the Constitution of AASU without bothering to know which ethnic group they belong to. The secular character is maintained at all levels of the Organization. Notably, the students belonging to minority communities and other groups play an active role in the movements of AASU as its members and to date they are making significant contributions toward the achievement of AASU’s goals.

# DEMOCRACY: AASU is well known for its democratic character which is reflected in the process of election to all tiers of the organization: State, District, Sub-divisional and Regional levels. The election system touches all the students residing even in the remote areas of the State. Remoteness is not a hindrance in the way to the maintenance of the Social relationship of AASU.

# POLITICAL NEUTRALITY: AASU is an organization of the students without having allegiance to any political party.

# LEADERSHIP: Leadership is a prime organ of each and every organization. AASU is not an exception to the rule. The leadership of AASU is in the hands of the youths with appreciable academic backgrounds. Beginning from the first leadership immediately after the adoption of its Constitution in 1967 which was in the hands of Lakshi Saikia and Dilip Bhattcharjyya as President and General Secretary respectively. The leadership was passed on to Sankar Prasad Ray and Tapan Kumar Gogoi, the existing President and General Secretary. Both have high educational qualifications. It is also worth mentioning that Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya, current Adviser to AASU, is the recipient of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

# HISTORY OF AASU:

AASU is the abbreviated name of the All Assam Students' Union. It is one of the oldest Youth organizations in the country having its roots in the Pre-Independence period. It had its first appearance in 1888 when a group of students from Assam studying in Kolkata took initiative to form "Asomiya Bhasar Unnaty Sadhini Sabha" and held its first conference on 25th of that year. Since then it passed through various stages of development and later on it was renamed as "Asom Chatra Sanmilan" which met for the first time on 25th of December 1916 at Latasil field of Guwahati in Assam. Rasaraj Lakshminath Bezbaruah presided over the meeting at Latasil. Subsequently several significant developments emerged in its structure and activities. On August 8th 1967 at 5 a.m. in a general meeting held at Tezpur its written Constitution was formally adopted. Since then AASU is functioning within its Constitutional framework. AASU's commitment to the cause of the nation helps it to approach even the most complicated problems with courage and confidence. Since its inception, AASU has responded very boldly with a progressive vision to the urgent and fundamental needs of the people of Assam through democratic mass movements. The following are its major achievements:

1) In 1960 AASU launched a movement with massive public support for the declaration of Assamese as State Language and it was successful in motivating the government to declare Assamese the official State Language.

2) In 1972, AASU played a significant role in the movement for introducing Assamese (along with English) as the medium of instruction in the higher educational institutions in Assam. AASU was successful in its efforts. Under the leadership of AASU the people of Assam launched a movement for the establishment of Refineries in the State.

3) In 1974, when Assam faced the financial crisis due to flood damage, the AASU initiated an economic movement. All round economic development was the motto of the movement.

4) In 1979, AASU launched the mass movement against illegal immigration into Assam. The Movement was historic in the sense that it received unprecedented public support and peoples' active participation and could draw worldwide attention. The movement continued for six years and was ended successfully by the signing of the Assam Accord on August 15th 1985. The Accord was partially implemented by the government through the establishment of numerous projects such as the 1) Central University in Tezpur,
2) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
3) Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
4) Assam University in Silchar,
5) Jyoti Chitraban,
6) Numaligarh Refinery LTD and
7) Bogibeel Bridge over the mighty river Brahmaputra. AASU is currently making whole-hearted efforts to motivate the government to implement the remainder of the Accord. Also, the most notable feature of the Movement against illegal immigration into Assam is that Honourable Governor of Assam Lt. General (Rtd) Shri S. Sinha who is at present the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir submitted a detailed report to the Government of India in support of AASU's cause in connection with the foreigner's issue. The signing of the Assam Accord was not an easy task. Behind it there was the involvement of the entire population of Assam and the sacrifice of thousands of lives the suffering of lakhs of families. The Assam Accord cannot be ignored as a mere part of the movement. It is a commitment to the country to establish unity, integrity and security of the nation of the signatories.

# PREAMBLE OF AASU:

The Preamble to the AASU Constitution may be read as:
"Maintaining the social, economic, political justice, expression of thought, free thinking and faith, equality and dignity, self-respect and national unity in its efforts to involve the students to form and achieve the feeling of brotherhood, we, all the students of Assam decide with determination to form a Union with all the students irrespective of nationality, religion and caste".

# CONSTITUTION OF AASU:

AIMS & OBJECTIVES:

The Preamble to the Constitution of AASU speaks about the Aims and Objectives of the Organization as:

• To form a Students’ Union without loyalty to any political party;
• To inspire for and deepen the respect for the motherland and its people;
• To involve the students in the struggle to free the people from all forms of exploitation;
• To inspire the students for Socialism and bring all kinds of development to the State first and the country in a phase wise manner;

i) To protect Independence and Sovereignty of the motherland;

ii) To protect and sustain the interest of the ethnic societies of Assam;

iii) To campaign against the illiteracy and educational discrepancy and to establish the right of getting education for all students;

iv) To raise the social, political and cultural awareness amongst the students;

v) To remove narrow communalism and social superstitions arising out of the consideration of caste, creed and religion;

vi) To maintain brotherhood relations with the student Organizations of other states having similar aims and objectives as those of AASU with a view to establish national integrity.

# ROLE OF AASU :

Everybody who has witnessed the social and economic development of the state since the beginning of the 1980s has to appreciate the seminal role played by the AASU and its untiring and consistent ability to struggle to make its voice heard in strengthening the social fabric of Assam. While searching for the ways to bring about the political, economic and social progress of the masses, no state can deny the need of extensive and intensive cooperation of the member communities of the state. It holds true to all human organizations and this conception is felt in every act of the AASU, the leading student organization of Assam. It may be admitted that the AASU is not the sole answer to all the problems faced by the State and several problems are well beyond its capacities, yet AASU’s moral strength and courage, concerted effort and commitment to the common cause of the nation make it a source of inspiration to the youth to move together in order to tackle problems effectively. AASU has provided the scope to empower the unemployed youth to realize that many opportunities exist to achieve economic development using indigenous resources for a better common future. It requires that every youth be strong, vigilant, active and brave. AASU has proved that the spoken word of a man of sacrifice is a potent force to drive people toward the noble cause of a nation, because it appeals directly to the heart of the people. With these ideals, a flexible democratic structure and the capacity to face all kinds of struggles the AASU has become much more: a "Message" to the World of Youths".