The All Assam Students’ Union has been one of the major lifelines of the state of Assam over last five decades. The Union, popularly known as AASU in its abbreviated form, has got its long successful history of contributing towards overall socio-political, economic, linguistic, academic, and cultural developments of Assam. Credited with many major breakthroughs in the post independent socio-dynamism of Assam, the AASU is considered as the state’s most significant and most influential non political organisation.
Originating from the rather unorganized students cluster entities, and broader social groups in post independent initial years, it took its organizational shape in late sixties. Then onwards, the AASU has been an integral part of the societal affairs in its broad sense, and become a continuous movement for the causes of Assam.
Comprising of the students of the state of Assam as its member base, the AASU runs with a hierarchical organizational setup of five stairs. Democratic nature in every aspect, right from its internal configurations to its ways of involvement in issues, has been the main strength of AASU. It has adopted Gandhiji’s non violence principle for the requirements of protests, standings, and showcasing the concerns of the society. Transparency in its functioning with no hidden agendas at any time has made the union a public affair it its full meaning. As the AASU is well adopted by the Assamese society as a real public reflection, AASU is also in tern well bonded and obliged with the aspirations and continuous monitoring of the greater Assamese society.
Since its formalism in late sixties of last century, AASU has led many organized movements, apart from its continuous voices for the development of the state. AASU has spearheaded movements on issues like language, refinery, medium of instruction, illegal foreign nationals and educational uplifts. Moreover AASU has also in its credit to do a lot for mutual unity among the diversified ethnic communities of the state and the region. Through all such involvements and leaderships, AASU has intensified the consciousness of the people of Assam to a higher level. AASU raised a new level of socio-political concerns and consciousness in the greater Assamese Society. The famous Assam Movement, led by AASU, which continued for long six years from 1979 to 1985, has brought AASU in notice of the national and international communities. This resulted not only in bringing forward the burning issue of illegal foreigners migrated from Bangladesh and Nepal, but also in concretizing and formalizing the solution for the same at national level. The movement also resulted in drastically changing the attitude of the central government and other parts of the country towards this region. The result of the movement also included formalizing the academic, cultural and developmental requirements of the state of Assam through central government’s acceptance and assurances in the formal document “Assam Accord”.