North East & Eastern Himalayan: News & Discussion

[kshatriya]

^^

[Victor]

The upper bank of the Brahmaputra from Guwahati to Tezpur is Bodo and tribal land historically. They are the original inhabitants of Assam along with other plains tribals. A couple of decades ago, there were no bangladeshi muslims in that area and the few that had crept in stayed out of sight and tried hard not to attract attention because they stood out among the tribals. Today, almost the entire area has been taken over by BDs and mosques, lungis, beards and white caps are common along the main highway. One might as well be in BD. If there is trouble, it is mostly the Bodos who are blamed and who are on the receiving end. This is all courtesy of congress and the AUDF who have given the illegals license to steal land. The level of ignorance and treachery from Delhi over the decades has been unbelievable. It is a testimony of India's educational system that folks from the NE are still called "ch**is" after 70 years of being a part of India. I get the feeling that we will see another bloodbath in Assam before too long as the frustration of locals is extremely high and my fear is that it will be mainly Indian citizens/Hindus who will be killed, both by the BDs and by Indian security forces.

[g.sarkar]

http://www.rediff.com/news/special/the- ... 120813.htm
"If the apathy towards the plight of Muslims in the north-east continues it will disturb the peace of the region for a long time to come, SP national secretary Kamal Faruqui tells rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
"The Assam riots will make us forget Gujarat," says Kamal Faruqui, national secretary of the Samjawadi Party, in exasperation.
He told rediff.com, "Muslim youth in the country are carrying aakrosh (anguish) within them on seeing the condition of Muslims in Assam and Myanmar."
......
"Is it fair to not make any noise when Hindus of Bangladesh illegally migrate to India [ Images ] but brutal riots take place when Muslims migrate to India to sustain their families? When Bangladesh was liberated it had around 24 percent Hindus, now they are less than eight percent. Obviously they have migrated to different parts of India. But no hue and cry is made against the illegal migration of Hindu Bangladeshis. I have no issue with Hindu Bangladeshis migration to India, it's a humanitarian issue. But why this double-standards?" he asked.
Faruqui shows a series of horrific pictures on his iPad sent from Myanmar purportedly depicting Rohingya Muslims killed in the sectarian violence. Since June, incidents of violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims have shaken the Islamic world.
If the apathy towards the plight of Muslims in the north-east continues, he says, it will disturb the peace of the region for a long time to come."
Gautam

[nawabs]

The upper bank of the Brahmaputra from Guwahati to Tezpur is Bodo and tribal land historically. They are the original inhabitants of Assam along with other plains tribals. A couple of decades ago, there were no bangladeshi muslims in that area and the few that had crept in stayed out of sight and tried hard not to attract attention because they stood out among the tribals. Today, almost the entire area has been taken over by BDs and mosques, lungis, beards and white caps are common along the main highway. One might as well be in BD. If there is trouble, it is mostly the Bodos who are blamed and who are on the receiving end. This is all courtesy of congress and the AUDF who have given the illegals license to steal land. The level of ignorance and treachery from Delhi over the decades has been unbelievable. It is a testimony of India's educational system that folks from the NE are still called "ch**is" after 70 years of being a part of India. I get the feeling that we will see another bloodbath in Assam before too long as the frustration of locals is extremely high and my fear is that it will be mainly Indian citizens/Hindus who will be killed, both by the BDs and by Indian security forces.

In Delhi University and especially in North Campus,girls from north east are referred to as 'Ch***is' all the time.It is despicable.

[partha]

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/serie ... herstories

Series of blasts rock Manipur on Independence Day, four injured

Imphal: Four people were today injured when a series of bombs exploded in Manipur during Independence Day celebrations.

Official sources said the first explosion was reported from interior Thoubal district at a fair ground, near the district headquarters, at around 8 am.

Four persons, identified as Y Manao Singh (52), Sanabanta Das (22), Akoijam Ongbi Sanajaobi Devi (55) and Ningombam Manisam Devi (65) were injured and taken to a nearby district hospital.


Their condition was stated to be critical, the sources said.

Three powerful bombs later exploded in the capital complex in Imphal during Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's speech at the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground. The ground is about two km away from the site of the bomb explosions.

The Chief Minister was appealing to insurgents to give up arms and join the national mainstream by participating in the development process.

Sources said a powerful bomb, allegedly planted by the insurgents at the side of busy road at Sagolband in the capital complex, was apparently set off by using a remote-controlled device at around 9 am, damaging the wall of a nearby house.

They said the bomb might have been planted to attack security personnel who used the road often to go to CRPF headquarters at Langjing, about 6 KM west of here.

Ten minutes later, another powerful bomb exploded at a place on Minuthong bridge on Imphal river in the capital complex, sources said, adding the place is about KM from the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground.

Official reports from Thoubal district said minutes after the bomb explosion at Mela ground, police and paramilitary forces, including Assam Rifles personnel, surrounded nearby suspected areas and rounded up several persons.

All the detained were later freed after proper verification, the reports said. Passers-by at isolated places were also checked to detect movement of ultras who sneaked into nearby interior areas after the explosion, reports said.

[Victor]

From the Internal Security thread:

.. My analysis suggests that the corrupt Assamese INC (AGP is not much different) were settling Bdeshi settlers on whom they consider troublesome like the Bodos.... If you look at the demographic map of Assam most areas where Assamese are in a majority do not have much illegal immigrants.

This is half-knowledge which is worse than no knowledge.
Yes, all politicians, INC,AGP whatever, are corrupt because power corrupts. But the issue of "voting back the same people" was settled in the 70s (after 1971) and 80s with fullbore illegal migration which is still in full flow. Today, nobody can come to power in Assam without the block votes of the Muslims and tea garden labour (Devakanta Barooah called them his "Ali and Coolie" vote bank). The only force that could dislodge INC was the Assam student movement in early 80s which resulted in a bloodbath but when they formed AGP and came to powrer on the consolidated Hindu vote, they too found that they needed the Ali-Coolie blocs to remain in power. Today, no govt in Assam even needs the Assamese vote hence the indifference.

The areas that have relatively fewer Muslim illegals are only the last bastions of the Assamese and they too are going. Its a matter of time but maybe the Bangladeshis will allow a small enclave in the eastern-most Dibrugarh, Sivasagar area to remain an Assamese "reservation". They have the full power of the Indian State behind them and whatever they (illegal Muslims) decide will be the outcome. Unless of course there is another bloodbath.

[pgbhat]

The Sterilisation Jihadi

Doctor Ilias Ali is a pious Muslim. But it is not for prayers that he visits different mosques, not only in his home town Guwahati, but in far-flung areas across Assam. Dr Ali is a sterilisation jihadi. Trained in a special vasectomy technique known as ‘No Scalpel Vasectomy’ (NSV), Dr Ali visits mosques to persuade people of his community to keep their family small. Among Assam’s indigenous Muslims, whose birth rate is more or less the same as that of Hindus and other communities, it’s a message he need not convey. The problem, in his view, is with non-indigenous Muslims, mostly those who have come from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Their literacy levels are very low and they hold such superstitious beliefs as children being a blessing from Allah that man has no control over.

[nvishal]

9 cases of assault, intimidation registered, 8 held

After nearly 10 days of unsubstantiated claims, the city police registered nine cases in the 24 hours ending Friday night where people from the northeast had been assaulted and intimidated. Four of these cases involved assault and the remaining five were related to intimidation.

The first case of assault was registered by the Ashoknagar police on Friday afternoon based on a complaint filed by four people of a family from Darjeeling.

The victims — Prakash Rai (28), Ajai Chetri (29), Rijan Gurung (22), Kumar Chetri (30) — told the police they were attacked by a three-member, “Urdu-speaking” gang 50 metres from their home in Neelasandra where they live with their families. Mr. Rai, Mr. Ajai Chetri and Mr. Kumar Chetri own roadside momo stalls and Mr. Gurung works in a salon.

Outside a mall

It was the second attack, though, that had the police confounded as those arrested belonged not just to the Muslim community but included a Christian as well as a Hindu man.

The victims in the second case — Lailan (26), Robert (25) and Sangpe (19) — were attacked outside a mall in Shantinagar. In their statement to the police, these men from Manipur said that Abrar Ahmed, a mall employee, accosted them around 1.45 p.m. and sought to know if they were from the northeast. When they replied in the affirmative, they were attacked by a gang that seemed to be acquainted with Abrar.

The police arrested eight people in connection with this case and identified five of them as Abrar, Vinay, Antony, Salman and Mubarak. They did not belong to any organisation, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda.

“I was carrying my child when I was hit. They wanted to hit me on the head but missed narrowly,” Mr. Rai said and added that the attackers were speaking in Urdu.

The Ashoknagar police station received two other cases by late Friday.

According to police sources, a complaint was filed by a 23-year-old Manipuri boy, Cunningham, who was allegedly beaten up in Johnson Market. He sustained hand and leg injuries, the police added.

Two boys, Yantsuthung Erui and Renthungo Odyuo, both 21 and Jain College students hailing from Nagaland, were beaten up by a gang in Shantinagar between 6 and 7 p.m.

[Supratik]

From the Internal Security thread:

.. My analysis suggests that the corrupt Assamese INC (AGP is not much different) were settling Bdeshi settlers on whom they consider troublesome like the Bodos.... If you look at the demographic map of Assam most areas where Assamese are in a majority do not have much illegal immigrants.

This is half-knowledge which is worse than no knowledge.
Yes, all politicians, INC,AGP whatever, are corrupt because power corrupts. But the issue of "voting back the same people" was settled in the 70s (after 1971) and 80s with fullbore illegal migration which is still in full flow. Today, nobody can come to power in Assam without the block votes of the Muslims and tea garden labour (Devakanta Barooah called them his "Ali and Coolie" vote bank). The only force that could dislodge INC was the Assam student movement in early 80s which resulted in a bloodbath but when they formed AGP and came to powrer on the consolidated Hindu vote, they too found that they needed the Ali-Coolie blocs to remain in power. Today, no govt in Assam even needs the Assamese vote hence the indifference.

The areas that have relatively fewer Muslim illegals are only the last bastions of the Assamese and they too are going. Its a matter of time but maybe the Bangladeshis will allow a small enclave in the eastern-most Dibrugarh, Sivasagar area to remain an Assamese "reservation". They have the full power of the Indian State behind them and whatever they (illegal Muslims) decide will be the outcome. Unless of course there is another bloodbath.

For illegal immigration to be successful you need resources. Assam is not a developed state. So the major resource is land. So if the system which is largely controlled by the Assamese is not corrupt how are they getting voters card, ration cards and other ID documents and more importantly land either taken illegally or bought illegally. This is happening in West Bengal as well. The route in West Bengal is largely Murshidabad to Malda to Uttar Dinajpur and also south to Birbhum and finally the latest is abnormal growth in adjoining North-east Bihar (Purnea, Kishenganj, etc). The main culprit was the CPI-M which settled them and gave them documents and land. Why hasn't the Assam accord been implemented? If the central INC leadership is giving pressure why has the state leadership not stood up? Western Assam and Barak valley are largely non-Assamese regions. Except for parts of kamrup, morigaon, nagaon, most of the other regions have low to moderate Muslim population. So if you think the Assamese leadership had no role in this or I think the Bengali leadership had no role in the illegal immigration in West Bengal then we are living in cuckooland.

[Anindya]

I don't know enough about the data to create a point by point rebuttal, but perhaps someone else can...

Census Figures Nix Illegal Migration Theory

[Supratik]

Well the article does not have much data and he already says that "abnormal growth does not mean illegal migration" but doesn't explain how the abnormal growth is taking place.

IIRC, Outlook I believe is owned by the Rahejas who are builders in Mumbai and have spread elsewhere. We all know how shady Mumbai real estate is with Gulf and Dawood connections.

[Victor]

So if you think the Assamese leadership had no role in this or I think the Bengali leadership had no role in the illegal immigration in West Bengal then we are living in cuckooland.

From my post:

Today, nobody can come to power in Assam without the block votes of the Muslims and tea garden labour (Devakanta Barooah called them his "Ali and Coolie" vote bank).

What I am saying is that the Assamese in Assam (and the Bengalis in W. Bengal) are powerless. We have NO power to elect a government that can look after only our interests. Whether it is congress, BJP, AGP whatever, a govt will not survive if they don't pander to the illegals. It is a fait accompli with the connivance of the Congress and CPI, nobody is questioning that. We ourselves created this monster by going to sleep. The solution now lies outside the political process.

[Supratik]

I do not agree with this assumption. First of all West Bengal and Assam cannot be compared. The Bengalies are hemmed by the fact that there 14-15 million Hindus still within Bdesh. So once the political parties openly colluded with the illegals there was not much the common man could do. They can only hope for border fencing, population control and communal peace. But in Assam there is no such problem of brethren across the border except for Koch-Rajbonshis and Bengali Hindus. The Assamese could have taken a more sterner step. Instead what we see are internal divisions between different ethnic groups. The ULFA was busy targeting Biharis and other North Indians. There is no unity with the other groups. My estimate is that if they wanted they could get together and elect a Govt. which is serious about the problem. After formation of AUDF the INC vote bank has shrunk. Instead what we see is the INC coming back to power with more than 70+ seats. So there is a cognitive dissonance somewhere if you are electing the same party you are accusing of promoting illegal immigration. The Assamese don't have the numbers. Their only hope of not getting swept away by a tide is to get everyone else together.

[Supratik]

@victor

I did an analysis of the potential of an anti-Bdeshi migrant political front to win Assam assembly elections. There are about 83 seats out of 126 that are winnable if there is a broad alliance. The data is from wiki and the population percent data is from 2001.


assam muslim population winnable seats

dhemaji 2% 2
dibrugarh 4.5% 7
tinsukia 3.5% 5
lakhimpur 16% 4
sibsagar 8% 6
jorhat 5% 6
golaghat 8% 4
sonitpur 16% 8
karbi anglong 2% 4
dima hasao 2.5% 1


medium

cachar 36% 4/7
bongaigaon 39% 3/4
kamrup 25% 7/10
nalbari 22% 1/3
darrang 35% 2/4


high

barpeta 59% 3/8
goalpara 54% 1/4
marigaon 47% 1/3
nagaon 51% 4/11
dhubri 74% 0/7
karimganj 52% 2/5
hailakandi 57% 1/3

BATC

kokrajhar, baksa, udalguri, 8

winnable seats 83

[Samudragupta]

So if you think the Assamese leadership had no role in this or I think the Bengali leadership had no role in the illegal immigration in West Bengal then we are living in cuckooland.

From my post:

Today, nobody can come to power in Assam without the block votes of the Muslims and tea garden labour (Devakanta Barooah called them his "Ali and Coolie" vote bank).

What I am saying is that the Assamese in Assam (and the Bengalis in W. Bengal) are powerless. We have NO power to elect a government that can look after only our interests. Whether it is congress, BJP, AGP whatever, a govt will not survive if they don't pander to the illegals. It is a fait accompli with the connivance of the Congress and CPI, nobody is questioning that. We ourselves created this monster by going to sleep. The solution now lies outside the political process.

The Bengalis in W B are not powerless....they got the gov what they wanted...the illegal migration has become more problematic in Assam than WB...

[Anindya]

The Myth of the Bangladeshi and Violence in Assam: Nilim Dutta

As per the Census of India 2001, Hindus constituted 65.60%, Muslims 20.36% and Christians 13.72% of Kokrajhar’s population. A large number of the Bodos would be Hindus, but some would be Christians too. The Adivasis would be overwhelmingly Christian and the Muslims would be of immigrant origin. The data on language from the Census further reveals that Bodos constituted 32.37%, Bengalis 21.06%, Assamese 20.28% and Santhalis 16.70% of Kokrajhar’s population, if we look at the ethnic break up linguistically.

In 2001, there certainly aren’t any alarming indicators of natives about to be marginalised by illegal immigrants, and certainly not by illegal ‘Bengali Muslim’ immigrants from Bangladesh. The decadal growth rate of Kokrajhar between 2001 and 2011 has been among the lowest, at just 5.19%. This low population growth is also substantiated by the increase in population density by just 5.26%, from 266 to 280 persons per square kilometre. Thus, between 2001 and 2011 there couldn’t have been any alarming change in demography of the district. To cut a long story short, it appears extremely unlikely that rapacious ‘invasion’ of illegal immigrants could be a reason for widespread violent native-immigrant conflict here. We have to look for the real reasons elsewhere.

Slightly dated article on the same issue
ILLEGAL MIGRATION INTO ASSAM

[SRoy]

There should be a Kamtapur Territorial Autonomous district for Koch-Rajbonshi people covering Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Nalbari districts of Assam and portions of Jalpaiguri, Coochebehar districts of WB and including Dhubri of Assam for geographical continuity. This will ensure that tribal rights are preserved in the region.

Although you replied to my post on the same topic in another thread. Here goes again.
Assorted movements by Koch, Gorkhas and Bodos if results in separate state the better. What is the extent of the autonomy for the so-called "autonomous regions"? In short words, any state / geopolitical disposition that runs without any dependence on Muslim votes will be better than the current arrangement. Current Assam and WB governments are already compromised by Muslim factor. Would be a full fledged Gorkhaland hamstrung by political considerations if it requires to unleash the state apparatus on radicals? I don't think so. Same applies for Bodos.

[Supratik]

The Myth of the Bangladeshi and Violence in Assam: Nilim Dutta

As per the Census of India 2001, Hindus constituted 65.60%, Muslims 20.36% and Christians 13.72% of Kokrajhar’s population. A large number of the Bodos would be Hindus, but some would be Christians too. The Adivasis would be overwhelmingly Christian and the Muslims would be of immigrant origin. The data on language from the Census further reveals that Bodos constituted 32.37%, Bengalis 21.06%, Assamese 20.28% and Santhalis 16.70% of Kokrajhar’s population, if we look at the ethnic break up linguistically.

In 2001, there certainly aren’t any alarming indicators of natives about to be marginalised by illegal immigrants, and certainly not by illegal ‘Bengali Muslim’ immigrants from Bangladesh. The decadal growth rate of Kokrajhar between 2001 and 2011 has been among the lowest, at just 5.19%. This low population growth is also substantiated by the increase in population density by just 5.26%, from 266 to 280 persons per square kilometre. Thus, between 2001 and 2011 there couldn’t have been any alarming change in demography of the district. To cut a long story short, it appears extremely unlikely that rapacious ‘invasion’ of illegal immigrants could be a reason for widespread violent native-immigrant conflict here. We have to look for the real reasons elsewhere.

This is the leftist position that the issue of illegal immigration is overblown and if there have been some illegal immigration it is for economic reasons. He is correct that there were settlers from the area that is present Bdesh to Assam pre-independence. My major objection is that he brings in a couple of districts from eastern Assam where population growth has been high and compares it with border districts and says "look there has been no illegal immigration". The population explosions in Dhemaji and Karbi-Anglong may be for entirely different reasons. Even the Assam agitation did not claim that everyone is an illegal immigrant but those who came after 1971 are - which is strange as the cut-off date should be 1947.

I have looked at the growth data of Assam districts for 2001-2011 and there is no abnormal growth although growth in districts with Muslim majorities remains high. So the level of fresh illegal immigration may have gone down but the demographic change is going to continue.

The current agitation by Bodos is likely to do with land that is being occupied/bought by settlers in their area.

[Supratik]

Although you replied to my post on the same topic in another thread. Here goes again.
Assorted movements by Koch, Gorkhas and Bodos if results in separate state the better. What is the extent of the autonomy for the so-called "autonomous regions"? In short words, any state / geopolitical disposition that runs without any dependence on Muslim votes will be better than the current arrangement. Current Assam and WB governments are already compromised by Muslim factor. Would be a full fledged Gorkhaland hamstrung by political considerations if it requires to unleash the state apparatus on radicals? I don't think so. Same applies for Bodos.

Yes, that may not be a bad idea but these regions are going to be relatively small in geographic area and may have issues of economic viability. The Bodos have rights on land and a majority in BATC under the Bodo agreement.

[sum]

Surprsing that Sudhanshu Ranjan has put the matters the way they are. he is sually pro-govt and is employed in DD:

Allowed to fester

The problem is one of continuing influx of Bangladeshis to Assam, which has changed the demography of six districts.

The exodus of people of the North East from Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune is reminiscent of August 16,1946, the ‘Direct Action Day,’ as announced by Mohammad Ali Jinnah which finally led to partition and the largest ever migration of population that took place in the history of the world. The trauma suffered by both countries and communities beggars description.

However, just as the partition on the basis of religion did not solve the problem, the current situation in Assam has been allowed to fester for decades as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh continue to sneak into the region like extravasated blood. The ecchymosis of migration threatens to change the demography of the state which has risen in revolt. It was an ethnic conflict between the local residents and the immigrants then and the recent clashes between the Bodos and the Bangladeshi immigrants in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts were also ethnic.

But Pakistan with its diabolical design successfully converted it into a communal issue. SMS/MMSes carrying hate messages and offensive images created national scare and those from the North East started returning home from different cities in droves. Union home secretary R K Singh has revealed that the bulk of the messages were uploaded in Pakistan and Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has spoken to his Pakistani counterpart in this regard. However, the statement of the home secretary that bulk of messages was uploaded in Pakistan creates confusion as he has not said that all messages were uploaded in Pakistan. It means that the remaining messages were uploaded somewhere else. It needs to be clarified.

Fingers have been raised against Badruddin Ajmal, chief of the All India United democratic Front, set up with the sole agenda of furthering the Muslim cause, for leading a disinformation campaign that Muslims were being targeted. His party got a huge success in the last Assembly elections and emerged as the main opposition party. He has been accused of motivating people to move into relief camps to prove how Muslims have become refuges in their own country. Nearly 5 lakh people are staying in relief camps at the moment which is biggest ever migration of population inside country. It is outnumbered only by the migration at the time of partition but that was across the border.

Violence erupted in Assam after July 6 when two student leaders were shot and injured by unidentified gunmen at Anthihara village in the Kokrajhar district. Another incident that triggered off violence on a large scale took place on July 20 in which four former members of the now defunct Bodoland Liberation Tigers were hacked to death at Joypur village. The main cause of clashes between the Bodo tribals and the immigrant Muslims is the control over land. Bodos claim themselves to be the original inhabitants of the land and Shankar Dev, the great Vaihnav saint, has called them ‘mlechchas.’ Bodos are deeply peeved over this nomenclature and demanded to ban the writings of Shankar Dev.

Continuing influx

Anyway, the problem is the only one of the continuing influx of Bangladeshis to the state which has changed the demography of at least six districts which have Muslims in majority now. The problem of illegal migration at least into Assam was created by the British East India Company, who first brought the Bengali Muslim peasant from East Bengal to the Brahmaputra valley in the beginning of the 19th century.

Within 30 years, the Bengali Muslim migrants had settled in four districts of Assam clearing forest lands and cultivating waste lands and multiplied so fast that the Census Commissioner C S Mullen wrote prophetically in his census report of 1931-“Whither there is vacant land, thither goes the Mymensinghia. Without fuss, without tumult, without undue trouble a population amounting to about half a million has transplanted itself from Bengal to Assam during the last 25 years. A time will come when Sibsagar district will remain the only district that the Assamese can call their own.”

Realising the threat to demography, the government introduced the line system that designated the area in each district that could be settled by the immigrant Bengali Muslim. However, the Muslim League government headed by Sadullah Khan (1944-45) de-reserved grazing reserves in Kamrup, Darrang and Nowgong districts for settling East Bengali peasants, ostensibly for increasing paddy production. Lord Wavell described the settlements as – “Grow more Muslims, rather than grow more food.” Jinnah’s private secretary had promised him to offer Assam on a platter as part of Pakistan.

Even after independence, the migration continued and the myopic government with an eye on the vote-bank did nothing to stop the migration. In fact, former Congress president D K Baruah had said that he would rule over the state with the help of Aali (Immigrant Muslims) and coolie (labourers from Bihar and other states who went there to work in tea gardens).

When Rajiv Gandhi signed the Assam Accord with All Assam Students Union, it was decided that immigrants who came on or after March 25, 1971 would be identified and deported. The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act was enacted, but it was subsequently set aside by the Supreme Court. However, very few illegal immigrants were identified and only a miniscule percentage was deported.

Now the Congress party asks where they should be deported when Bangladesh denies that they are its citizens and is not willing to accept them. But at least their voting rights should be withdrawn and be allowed to stay in the extreme cases on work permits. The problem of illegal migration must be addressed if peace is to have a permanent innings in Assam.

[Anindya]

supratik and others - Nilim Dutta from the link above seems to blog on the link below - maybe an interesting debate...

http://chanakyasneeti.wordpress.com/

[Vasu]

Thanks to border fencing, business booms in Tripura

The sight of Bangladeshi trucks laden with cement, stones, plastic and other items entering Tripura through the Akhaura border near here presents a picture of contrast in the backdrop of border fencing. For, it reflects on how India wants to restrict illegal crossings from the neighbouring country, but desires healthy trade with it.

In fact, trade and security are going hand in hand in the State. “Trucks bring into India pebbles and cement, while carrying out items like sugar and onions. An interesting aspect is that limestone is transported from Meghalaya to Bangladesh and the cement manufactured there with it is now more popular and cheaper in Tripura,” said a Tripura Tourism official.

Pravin Agarwal, Director (Industries and Commerce) in the government of Tripura, insists that the business environment in the State had been improving due to fencing. “Till 4-5 years ago, there used to be instances of businessmen being abducted and taken across the border. But that has changed as the border fencing now covers nearly 740 km of the 865 km border that Tripura shares with Bangladesh.”

In fact, Mr. Agarwal said Tripura was now setting up specialised business parks around the theme of “bamboo” and “rubber” in areas not very far from the Bangladesh border. “The problems of illegal entry are at an all-time low. Those into business can easily cross over from the designated borders and the atmosphere has generally become conducive for trade and commerce.”

“There is a plan to construct a bridge over the Feni river in southern Tripura for providing connectivity from Sabroom — about 135 km from Agartala — in India to Ramgarh in Bangladesh.” The link up to Chittagong, which is about 75 km from Sabroom, would help heavy machinery, such as turbines for power plants, and goods reach north-east India with greater ease. The Indian Railway Construction Company is learnt to have finalised the alignment of the bridge in consultation with officials in Dhaka.

With a flight from Agartala to Kolkata still costing around five times the amount it costs to cover the distance by bus via Dhaka, the Tripura government is also working on improving the bus service through Bangladesh to cut down on travel time.

[Ashley Kravitz]

Agartala-Dhaka bus set ablaze, passengers safe

AGARTALA: A passenger bus run by the Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC) between Agartala and Dhaka was set ablaze by a mob in the Norsinghdi area of Bangladesh on Friday. However, all the passengers are safe.

Jamaatis ?

[Prithwi]

Is Stan_Savljevic here? If so, then I would like to discuss issues.

Cheers!!!

[Stan_Savljevic]

Is Stan_Savljevic here? If so, then I would like to discuss issues.

Cheers!!!

Please email me, standuude AT yahoo.com.

[Victor]

Very timely and important article:
Stabilize North East before Looking East

Judging from Suu Kyi's recent trips to the West and the likelihood of her becoming president of Burma, it is safe to assume that our next-door neighbour will become the next prosperous Asian Tiger in a very short time.

It is quite realistic to picture heavily loaded Tata trucks rolling back and forth along 4-lane highways between Delhi, Mumbai, Bangkok and Singapore via Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Burma, dotted with dhabas and Ginger Hotels along the way. A 4-lane highway already links Delhi, Mumbai and Guwahati and all that remains is to extend it to the border. The payoff would be incalculably huge for India almost immediately, not to mention for the long-neglected Northeast. The insurgency problem, which is mainly economic in origin, will very likely disappear overnight as people who have no hope today become too busy making money to worry about guns.

However, this makes too much sense and will therefore not be pursued by India with anything resembling urgency. Callousness, inaction, bumbling and missed opportunities are a hallmark of the idiots in Delhi and the bitter truth is that it is simply too much to expect an about-turn from them now, regardless of what is at stake.

[Prithwi]

@victor

I did an analysis of the potential of an anti-Bdeshi migrant political front to win Assam assembly elections. There are about 83 seats out of 126 that are winnable if there is a broad alliance. The data is from wiki and the population percent data is from 2001.


assam muslim population winnable seats

dhemaji 2% 2
dibrugarh 4.5% 7
tinsukia 3.5% 5
lakhimpur 16% 4
sibsagar 8% 6
jorhat 5% 6
golaghat 8% 4
sonitpur 16% 8
karbi anglong 2% 4
dima hasao 2.5% 1


medium

cachar 36% 4/7
bongaigaon 39% 3/4
kamrup 25% 7/10
nalbari 22% 1/3
darrang 35% 2/4


high

barpeta 59% 3/8
goalpara 54% 1/4
marigaon 47% 1/3
nagaon 51% 4/11
dhubri 74% 0/7
karimganj 52% 2/5
hailakandi 57% 1/3

BATC

kokrajhar, baksa, udalguri, 8

winnable seats 83

Your analysis is wrong, wherever that might have come from.

No Muslim candidate from Dima Hasao can ever stand or win elections @ Dima Hasao, atleast not in the next 10 years. Rest of your inferences are probably guilty too of oversight.

[Prithwi]

The upper bank of the Brahmaputra from Guwahati to Tezpur is Bodo and tribal land historically. They are the original inhabitants of Assam along with other plains tribals. A couple of decades ago, there were no bangladeshi muslims in that area and the few that had crept in stayed out of sight and tried hard not to attract attention because they stood out among the tribals. Today, almost the entire area has been taken over by BDs and mosques, lungis, beards and white caps are common along the main highway. One might as well be in BD. If there is trouble, it is mostly the Bodos who are blamed and who are on the receiving end. This is all courtesy of congress and the AUDF who have given the illegals license to steal land. The level of ignorance and treachery from Delhi over the decades has been unbelievable. It is a testimony of India's educational system that folks from the NE are still called "ch**is" after 70 years of being a part of India. I get the feeling that we will see another bloodbath in Assam before too long as the frustration of locals is extremely high and my fear is that it will be mainly Indian citizens/Hindus who will be killed, both by the BDs and by Indian security forces.

Bangladeshis were employed by Assamese land owners over a century ago to till their land, cultivate and work as house maids.

It is of concern that, while it might be true, that Bodos realized now that Mosques etc are coming up. Were the Bodos myopic earlier?

Your analysis is not only incorrect, but if I may say so, you don't have any basic understanding of facts. It's news in the mainstream media that feeds you. Kindly refrain from posting gibberish.

[Prithwi]

Naga IAS officer builds 100-km road in Manipur without govt help

IMPHAL: Villagers of Manipur's Tousem sub-division in Tamenglong district are a busy lot these days. At least 150 of them on a daily basis are clearing away a thicket with their machetes and daos. Some are lugging away heavy branches of recently felled trees; and others are operating bulldozers and earthmovers to give themselves the "best Christmas gift ever".

Theirs is one of the remotest corners in the country, where the India shining story has not yet reached; but the villagers are part of modern India's most ambitious road project embarked upon by one man, a young Naga IAS officer, without any funding from the government.

A 2005 graduate from St Stephen's College in Delhi, Armstrong Pame is the sub-divisional magistrate of Tamenglong, his home district, and the first IAS officer from the Zeme tribe. He has, of his own volition, begun the construction of a 100-km road that would link Manipur with Nagaland and Assam. Incidentally, the Centre had sanctioned Rs 101 crore in 1982 for the construction of this road, but for some unknown reason the project never took off. "Last December, then Union home minister P Chidambaram visited Manipur and asked what happened to the road.

The state government declared that it would be 'done soon', but nothing moved on the ground. Then in June-July this year, there was an outbreak of tropical diseases like typhoid and malaria. It takes two days for anyone in the village to make it to the nearest hospital on foot in the absence of a motorable road. Hundreds of patients had to be carried on makeshift bamboo stretchers, but very few made it to the town alive.

Also, town doctors were unwilling to come to the village because of its inaccessible terrain," Pame told TOI over phone from Tamenglong.

Perplexed and frustrated with the situation, the officer decided to reach out to doctors in his friend circle. A woman friend agreed, and Pame promised to sponsor her stay. "She treated over 500 patients and conducted quite a few minor surgeries. Many lives were saved in this way; but I realized how perilously poised the situation was in the absence of a road. That was the catalyst," Pame said.

To construct an all-weather, motorable road in an area untouched by the progress made by Independent India in the last six decades was an uphill task. And with no help coming from the government, Pame turned to his family and well-wishers.

"Armstrong and I grew up in a village in Tousem amid a lot of hardships. Our father was a schoolteacher and had a limited income. We used to walk down to the district headquarters—about 60km away—and carry 25 kilos of rice back home. It used to take us four days to go and come back and the rations used to last for two weeks. When we came to Delhi for higher studies, we would survive on biscuits for days without enough money to buy food. The remoteness of our village ruined its economy; and we knew that unless there was a road, there would be no development. So, when Armstrong proposed to undertake the venture, we all threw our lot with him," said Jeremiah Pame, an assistant professor at the Delhi University and elder brother of Armstrong.

"My wife and I donated our one month's salary, Armstrong paid five months' of his, and our mother paid our dad's one month's pension of Rs 5,000. Our youngest brother, Lungtuabui, recently started working. He donated his entire first month's pay for the project," he added.

The family together pooled Rs 4 lakh to start the project. They hired a bulldozer and bought two earthmovers. "But it was not enough; we needed more. So, we turned to Facebook. We created a page, seeking donations, and the response has been overwhelming. In the last three days, we have received Rs 1.2 lakh from friends all over the globe, with contributions varying from Rs 50 to $1000. And they are willing to contribute more," the young bureaucrat said. "The villagers, too, have contributed as per their capabilities: some are providing food and accommodation for the workers; some are supplying fuel for the earthmovers. They have also provided manpower for the project. We did not have to engage a contractor with so many people volunteering to shoulder that responsibility," he added.

Donation centres have been set up in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur and NRIs from Canada, USA and the UK have been sending their contributions for the project christened as Tamenglong-Haflong Road. A monolith will be erected once the road is completed and names of all donors will be inscribed.

The road will form a tri-junction with Nagaland and Assam over the Jiri River before entering the Dima Hasao district (formerly North Cachar Hills district) of Assam. Construction began in August this year, but stopped midway due to the rains. It resumed in September, and so far, work on 70km has been completed.

"Work moved at a swift pace because there were dirt tracks already; but laying the next 30km will be difficult as it is covered by dense forest. Nevertheless, we hope to complete the project before Christmas," said the young officer named after famous American astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Indian Revenue Service officer Gaigondin Panmei is the commissioner of customs for the Northeast. He believes the road can do wonders to the economy of the district as a whole and Tousem sub-division in particular.

"Tousem is the most backward sub-division in Tamenglong district; but it is also the place where the best oranges are grown. We have an orange festival in Manipur every year, but most of the time the local produce fails to make it to the fest due to its inaccessibility. Medical care, too, is in a bad shape because of this. Once this road becomes operational, it would open up the market for Tousem, and that would, in turn, bring prosperity to the people. But yes, it would be very essential to maintain this road. The builders will have to figure that out, too, but the progress of the road has been impressive so far," Panmei said.

[Victor]

Bangladeshis were employed by Assamese land owners over a century ago to till their land, cultivate and work as house maids.

This shows a high level of ignorance for someone who ostensibly resides in Assam. The Assamese welcomed the Sylhetias from ertwhile East Bengal in the 30s and 40s when it was part of India but this soon turned into an illegal flood after 1971. Yes, Bangladeshi maids do a lot of the housework in URBAN Assam like they do everywhere in India although I see a lot of resistance nowadays in Assam. But how does this take away from the treachery done by Delhi over the past decades?

Were the Bodos myopic earlier?

Again, a truly ignorant remark because even a hills tribal from Haflong would know better (hill tribals don't have the Bangladeshi menace level of the plains). Unlike the Assamese landed class, the Bodos NEVER used outside labour or cultivators, certainly not Bangladeshis. They along with the Assamese revolted against the flood of Bangladeshis unleashed on the plains by Congress after 1971 resulting in thousands of killed and wounded. I was part of the uprising myself and exposed to danger not so much from Bangladeshis as from our own CRPF on orders from Congress. I won't forget that.

Your analysis is not only incorrect, but if I may say so, you don't have any basic understanding of facts. It's news in the mainstream media that feeds you. Kindly refrain from posting gibberish.

You would do better to correct my understanding and analysis with your own instead of spewing pompous nonsense like this. I don't get all my facts from the mainstream media but it seems like you do---most of your posts on this thread are copy/paste news items from the mainstream media without any insights.

[Prithwi]

Bangladeshis were employed by Assamese land owners over a century ago to till their land, cultivate and work as house maids.

This shows a high level of ignorance for someone who ostensibly resides in Assam. The Assamese welcomed the Sylhetias from ertwhile East Bengal in the 30s and 40s when it was part of India but this soon turned into an illegal flood after 1971. Yes, Bangladeshi maids do a lot of the housework in URBAN Assam like they do everywhere in India although I see a lot of resistance nowadays in Assam. But how does this take away from the treachery done by Delhi over the past decades?

Ignorance nah! Confidence. Facts.

It's Sylhetis, not Sylhetias. Sylhetis are both Muslims and Hindus. Before partition, Hindu Sylhetis in Bangladesh were very prosperous economically as well as in terms of education. It's Muslim Sylhetis, who were employed by native Assamese because of the lack of education amongst Sylheti Muslims and also due to cheap labor (beating China in terms of cheap labor as early as the previous century ). I am also not contesting that Hindu Sylhetis were not employed by Assamese people, they were, but the figures would be negligible.

Btw, you're telling me things I know.

There ain't a lot of resistance that you say 'you're seeing in Assam', nowadays. It's mostly from right wing groups, which are a minority. In other states (of NE), the resistance mainly is from underground Christian extremist factions. I am from that part too, and from deep inside. Let's not get emotional, and give POVs by interacting with a few Jack & Jill from Assam. Assam is not only lower Assam or what you feed from the media.

Delhi's treachery is not answerable by me. I have that question too. Perhaps, you should call up Mr. Shinde or invoke RTI. I have my answers, but then it's for people who seek the truth.

Again, a truly ignorant remark because even a hills tribal from Haflong would know better (hill tribals don't have the Bangladeshi menace level of the plains). Unlike the Assamese landed class, the Bodos NEVER used outside labour or cultivators, certainly not Bangladeshis. They along with the Assamese revolted against the flood of Bangladeshis unleashed on the plains by Congress after 1971 resulting in thousands of killed and wounded. I was part of the uprising myself and exposed to danger not so much from Bangladeshis as from our own CRPF on orders from Congress. I won't forget that.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it - Voltaire

A part of it is true. But if you were part of the uprising, then my friend you have the blood of genuine Hindus (both Sylheti Hindus who had migrated from Bangladesh during and after the war of 1971, and also those who have been residing in Assam since 1900s). Because, when murderous animal instincts take over rational human approach, nothing can sway them.

And btw, CRPF acted as mute spectators, when right wing Assamese mobs went in raping, robbing and smothering to death fellow Sylheti Hindus, just because those idiots could not understand that culturally Sylhetis (Hindus & Muslims) have the same language, food, dress sense etc (not that I support killing of Muslims). I was not part of it, I witnessed it.

On a side note, I have forgotten and forgiven the misdoings, but I find it pretty idiotic, daft and ridiculous that a minority section amongst Assamese still harbor the ill feelings towards Hindu Sylhetis even today. That still is a minority, and I ignore that lot.

You would do better to correct my understanding and analysis with your own instead of spewing pompous nonsense like this. I don't get all my facts from the mainstream media but it seems like you do---most of your posts on this thread are copy/paste news items from the mainstream media without any insights.

Copy paste are for people who want to read more about my State.

Engage me. I'll be waiting.

[Prithwi]

Is Stan_Savljevic here? If so, then I would like to discuss issues.

Cheers!!!

Please email me, standuude AT yahoo.com.

Done mate. Thanks!

[Victor]

There ain't a lot of resistance (to employing Bangladeshis) that you say 'you're seeing in Assam', nowadays. It's mostly from right wing groups, which are a minority.

"Right wing groups" is a vague term. What exactly do you mean? Extremist Hindu Assamese perhaps if we follow the secular press? Can you elaborate on your definition? I bet you can't and are just mouthing off.

The truth is you will not find MOST Assamese households employing BDs any more. They prefer instead to hire and pay more to locals who are willing to do domestic work, mostly Christian or Hindu tribals. There is a stigma attached to having a BD maid nowadays but you wouldn't know that unless you were an urban or even semi urban Assamese. In the rest of urban India, nobody cares if their maid or driver is an illegal BD.

I will grant however that the booming building trades (mistrys) is now dominated by BDs. While Assamese contractors and households will overwhelmingly prefer skilled locals, they are simply not available in the numbers required. Non Assamese contractors and builders don't care who does the job. The local youth and Assam in general will pay heavily for their reluctance to do these high-paying jobs. It is definitely a major weakness among the Assamese.

the resistance mainly is from underground Christian extremist factions. I am from that part too, and from deep inside

Ah, that explains many things. Thanks.

Delhi's treachery is not answerable by me....I have my answers, but then it's for people who seek the truth.

Oh please do provide us with your answers and the "truth". They should be illuminating. Don't keep it in the dark.

if you were part of the uprising, then my friend you have the blood of genuine Hindus (both Sylheti Hindus who had migrated from Bangladesh during and after the war of 1971, and also those who have been residing in Assam since 1900s)

Dangerous allegation and unadulterated rubbish. EVERY ASSAMESE was "part of the uprising". And what pray is a "genuine Hindu"? Be clear and careful about what you write.

Did innocents suffer in the bloodbath of the Andolan of the 1980s? Of course they did as they do in any bloodbath but the Assamese ire was entirely directed at Bengali speaking Muslims from Bangladesh (Bangladeshi Hindus went mainly to W.Bengal). You should know that the two (Hindu and Muslim Sylhetias) did not live in the same villages but you apparently don't. BTW, it is VERY IMPORTANT to know that the AASU top leadership was composed of Assamese and Bengali Hindus AND Muslims. The current chief advisor (and old student leader) is Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharya, an Assamese Bengali. This was not and still is not a religious pogrom. It was and is a purely nationalistic, constitutionally driven strugle against illegal settlers abetted by vote hungry politicians. Here is a good article about the current situation from him. Note the stress on the non-communal nature of the Assamese people and movement.

CRPF acted as mute spectators, when right wing Assamese mobs went in raping, robbing and smothering to death fellow Sylheti Hindus, just because those idiots could not understand that culturally Sylhetis (Hindus & Muslims) have the same language, food, dress sense etc

More dangerous nonsense. CRPF were aggressive in protecting Bengali Muslims on orders from Congress and more often than not, fired on Hindu Assamese. This is borne out by the fact that only Muslim settlements got CRPF camps even though the Bangladeshi Muslims also "went in raping, robbing and smothering to death" the local villagers. Again, what is a "fellow Sylheti Hindu"? Your choice of words is interesting and very illuminating. BTW, the Sylhetia Hindus and Muslims DO NOT have the same dress. Same thing for Mymensighias (or is it Mymensighis??) It takes an experienced local eye to discern the difference but you apparently don't have it.

I was not part of it, I witnessed it.

You witnessed and did nothing? That's moral cowardice and worse than participating.

I find it pretty idiotic, daft and ridiculous that a minority section amongst Assamese still harbor the ill feelings towards Hindu Sylhetis even today.

"minority section amongst Assamese"?? When and who did this scientific survey? Care to describe this demographic? What section exactly?

Yes, it is stupid for ANYONE to harbour ill will towards harmless people but not against aggressive, illegal land-grabbers and religio-cultural bigots. Don't try to confuse the issue. There is no ill will towards Hindu Bengalis any more in Assam because their cultural arrogance (yes, it was that) has been forgotten amidst a much greater peril. Only trouble makers will try to confuse the issue. I'm watching. Gratuitous crap like "refrain from posting gibberish" will receive the contempt and suspicion it deserves.

[Prithwi]

Right wing groups" is a vague term. What exactly do you mean? Extremist Hindu Assamese perhaps if we follow the secular press? Can you elaborate on your definition? I bet you can't and are just mouthing off.

Vague term for you. For you're relatives, sons and daughters were not raped, pillaged and killed. You were the perpetrators, my kith and kin suffered. That is the truth.

The truth is you will not find MOST Assamese households employing BDs any more. They prefer instead to hire and pay more to locals who are willing to do domestic work, mostly Christian or Hindu tribals. There is a stigma attached to having a BD maid nowadays but you wouldn't know that unless you were an urban or even semi urban Assamese. In the rest of urban India, nobody cares if their maid or driver is an illegal BD.

Leave aside where I belong to for a moment, my best friend who is an Assamese Brahmin, lives in Beltola, has a BD maid. So keep harping about and spreading your propaganda. You people need BD people and that is why Bangladeshis flourish in Assam. True, FACT.

I will grant however that the booming building trades (mistrys) is now dominated by BDs. While Assamese contractors and households will overwhelmingly prefer skilled locals, they are simply not available in the numbers required. Non Assamese contractors and builders don't care who does the job. The local youth and Assam in general will pay heavily for their reluctance to do these high-paying jobs. It is definitely a major weakness among the Assamese.

ROFLMAO! You are an idiot aren't you? Construction in Guwahati is dominated by SULFA right now. Buy a house, or sell one - you need to pay commission to SULFA. Don't like the dark side? Go crawl back under the rock you came from. Terrorism is Assam is because of the Assamese people. Deteoirating situation in many parts of Assam is also due to the Assamese people (intellectuals amongst the Assamese those days). Please own the facts.

Did innocents suffer in the bloodbath of the Andolan of the 1980s? Of course they did as they do in any bloodbath but the Assamese ire was entirely directed at Bengali speaking Muslims from Bangladesh (Bangladeshi Hindus went mainly to W.Bengal). You should know that the two (Hindu and Muslim Sylhetias) did not live in the same villages but you apparently don't. BTW, it is VERY IMPORTANT to know that the AASU top leadership was composed of Assamese and Bengali Hindus AND Muslims. The current chief advisor (and old student leader) is Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharya, an Assamese Bengali. This was not and still is not a religious pogrom. It was and is a purely nationalistic, constitutionally driven strugle against illegal settlers abetted by vote hungry politicians. Here is a good article about the current situation from him. Note the stress on the non-communal nature of the Assamese people and movement.

What's your age? Who has fed you this propaganda?

Do you know why Assam University was formed?

Dude, go, do some research apart from the horse puckey that was fed into you right from your childhood.

More dangerous nonsense. CRPF were aggressive in protecting Bengali Muslims on orders from Congress and more often than not, fired on Hindu Assamese. This is borne out by the fact that only Muslim settlements got CRPF camps even though the Bangladeshi Muslims also "went in raping, robbing and smothering to death" the local villagers. Again, what is a "fellow Sylheti Hindu"? Your choice of words is interesting and very illuminating. BTW, the Sylhetia Hindus and Muslims DO NOT have the same dress. Same thing for Mymensighias (or is it Mymensighis??) It takes an experienced local eye to discern the difference but you apparently don't have it.

Okay. So Nellie massacre that happened, and also on many other villages that went unreported were because CRPF was protecting people? Utter bile.

You witnessed and did nothing? That's moral cowardice and worse than participating.

Yeah. I was a coward. I was a kid. Time's changed though right now. You ain't got no shit, other than propaganda. Dima-land, Bodo-land, Naga-land, Assam is on the verge to be broken. You or your ilk cannot stop it. Just a matter of time, you punk.

"minority section amongst Assamese"?? When and who did this scientific survey? Care to describe this demographic? What section exactly?

Yes, it is stupid for ANYONE to harbour ill will towards harmless people but not against aggressive, illegal land-grabbers and religio-cultural bigots. Don't try to confuse the issue. There is no ill will towards Hindu Bengalis any more in Assam because their cultural arrogance (yes, it was that) has been forgotten amidst a much greater peril. Only trouble makers will try to confuse the issue. I'm watching. Gratuitous crap like "refrain from posting gibberish" will receive the contempt and suspicion it deserves.

LMAO!!! Abbey, you all stole our alphabets. Yeah, you heard it right, you stole our alphabets, and you have a language. Should I even go beyond that???????? We were tolerant enough. We have forgiven the past sins, but we can very well kill, when it comes to that. Go inform you're village idiot to prepare.

[Agnimitra]

Dima-land, Bodo-land, Naga-land, Assam is on the verge to be broken. You or your ilk cannot stop it. Just a matter of time

Prithwi ji and Victor ji, interesting conversation (minus the name-calling). For the benefit of people like me who are not from that region, could you give some background on the above statement? Who exactly are the "you or your ilk" who are trying to stop the break-up of Assam? Why is it inevitable according to you? What is the level of Hindutva, EJ and Islamist penetration in Assam and the region in general? Etc. Thanks.

[Kati]

....don't want to get involved in the verbal fighting between two BRFites.
I suggest that all sides cool down, and see what's best for the region as well as for the country. ....
There are several angles to look at the Assam problem. There is no absolute correct angle (no one knows), and several issues are very subjective. hence, as I had seen the
problem "up-close and personal", just wanted to share my 2-paise;
(i) Even though AASU spearheaded "Bongaali Lhedao" ("drive out bengalis"), who was the main target? In my opinion, it was the illegal B'deshi muslims, though a very large number of hindu bengalis felt the heat, and therefore wrapped up their lota-kambal, and either moved to outside of Assam, or entrenched more into lower Assam where bengalis were/are in large numbers.
(ii) In response to AASU, there was AAMSU, which was mainly managed by the bengali muslims (having support for the illegal ones), but had a few hindu bengalis in their leadership. Many hindu bengalis looked upon AAMU as their savior, but many warned that AAMU was using hindu bengalis very cleverly to further the goals of the muslim bengalis.
(iii) What's the difference between hindu bengalis and hindu assamese? Almost none. Many hindu bengalis, after living in Assam for generations became hindu assamese, and the converse is also true (many hindu assamese, after living in west bengal for generations became hindu assamese. Only those can be considered as true hindu assamese who were the decendants of the Ahom population stock who came from the further east. ...anyway...
(iii) Now about Samujjwal Bhattacharya. Nothing against him. But he is an original hndu bengali, but his family settled in Assam for many years, and he considers himself as an assamese. A staunch pro-hindutva guy, but also known as having anti-bong slant......
...
back to lurking.....

[Victor]

Finally flushed him out--the guy is just a loud and filthy-mouthed Bangladeshi like the rest of them. He has the brass to try and pass himself off as an Assamese on here (his signature says his location is Assam) but he also states that he wants to break up Assam. All the problems in Assam are because of the Assamese. The BDs are pure as driven snow. No more from me to feed this troll.

[Agnimitra]

Kati ji, Victor ji, Prithwi ji - Thanks for the info.

1. What is the situation and stance of Bodos in all this? Their relations with other Assamese, Hindu Bongs and BD infiltrators?

2. Why is it that BD orgs like AAMU manage to have a significant number of Hindu Bengali representatives? Why do Hindu Bongs feel the need to get together with BDs to find political representation?

3. Apart from pro-Hindutva groups that want to solve the BD infiltration problem, are there any other non-Hindutva (Christian or secular) political groups in the region that also want to solve the problem? Or are the BDs finding political space because of a political rift between Hindutva and non-Hindutva? I mean, are any genuine Assamese who think like Prithwi, or were his statements a dead giveaway that he was a BD infiltrator?

Thanks.

[Victor]

Carlji--he himself says that "you stole our script". What does that tell you? Rest later when I have a little time.

[Agnimitra]

Carlji--he himself says that "you stole our script". What does that tell you?

I have no idea what he meant by that either. Looking fwd to your reply.