[Assam] Assam's other victims -20/08/07

[Jyotirmoy Sharma]

Reference:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070820/asp/northeast/story_8208508.asp

Dear Editor
Could you please make sure that your editorial team at least  
maintains professional integrity and do not jump overboard when  
reporting on some articles. NE is sitting in an ethnic cauldron and  
Patricia is doing no good by her baseless comments.
How are her baseless articles getting published without some  
verification? Previously she had blamed the Assamese for the Karbi- 
Dimasa clashes.. I wouldn't be surprised if the Assamese were to be  
blamed also for the Naga-Kuki, Bodo-Adivasi and all other ethnic  
clashes of the NE.
With reference to her home state( Meghalaya .. I am guessing by her  
surname ) .. I have asked how vocal were the Khasis when it came to  
the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis and Nepalis during the 80's and 90s.  
That was the time I decided to leave Meghalaya immediately after  
completing my ICSE('91) thinking  that this place( Shillong) has no  
future.
The argument that "A true blue Assamese cannot think beyond what he  
conceives is the nucleus of his origin .." is more applicable to the  
Khasis. Do they welcome any other community into their state? What  
rights have the non-tribals got there? Having spent most of my  
childhood in Meghalaya I have seen how non-tribals have been  
subjected to verbal and physical assaults, how clashes would almost  
occur every Durga pujas and evening curfews enforced, how water  
scarcity would always happen around Holi.
Assamese have been more accepting of other people .. that also has  
been a bane for us.
Regards
J.Sharma
( An Assamese )

Hi Patricia
Thanks for your anti-Assamese articles that routinely comes out in
the NE section of the Telegraph.
How often do you have to keep blaming the Assamese population for all
the ills of Assam, be it killings of the ULFA, neglect of the tribals
and so on and so forth.

"Assamese hegemony and patronising attitude towards those who do not
speak their language is alive and kicking. A true blue Assamese
cannot think beyond what he conceives is the nucleus of his origin,
which is also Ulfa’s hub."

*** Please remember that majority of the Assamese speaking people
have already disowned the ULFA and their concept of revolutionary
struggle and independence. They have openly come out denouncing their
acts, publicly thrashed them and also defied their dictats in several
occasions( the Independence day celebration being one example). Where
did the Khasi organisations go when the KSU went on a xenophobic
campaign against the Bengalis and Nepalis during the late 80s and
90s? I was a student in Shillong then. Curfews and bandhs were the
norms alongwith killings of non-tribals. I did not see anyone speak
out against the KSU. Few years back, did any of the Khasi leaders
shed crocodile tears when some innocent Garos were shot down during a
peaceful protest in Garohills? Why? Does Khasis matter more to
Meghalaya. Isn't it the feeling of neglect that  the Garos are
demanding to bifurcate Meghalaya.

" Karbi Anglong has only four MLAs in a House of 126 elected
representatives. Of the four, only one is a minister and the other a
parliamentary secretary. Important portfolios in the cabinet,
irrespective of the pecking order are firmly entrenched among the
“Assamese” gentry. Assam has never had a tribal chief minister and
perhaps never will."

*** Maybe true, that the Karbis haven't been strongly represented in
Assam. But you must also remember that Karbi population in Assam is
small in comparison to other tribes and non-tribes. I am not even
sure how you made the assessment about Assam not having a tribal as
CM. I am sure that if there is an eligible candidate for the post,
people would elect him. However belonging to a minority population
has it's disadvantage like anywhere in the world. Your statement is
akin to saying "America will never have a black President" or
"Australia will never have an Aboriginal as the PM". However I can
state that Assam having a tribal CM is more likely that a black
President in US or an Aboriginal PM of Australia. Assamese do not in
general have xenophobic feelings towards the other tribals of Assam.
Let's talk about your home state - Meghalaya. What chances does a non-
tribal have in standing for election, let alone become the CM? After
all, non-tribals make a significant percent of the population and
have made significant contribution to Meghalaya, haven't they?

"Karbi Anglong is not the only district, which experiences an apology
of governance. Let us have the grace to admit that the bulk of
resources are cornered by the traditional “Assamese” strongholds,
namely, Guwahati, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Tezpur."
*** Please also visit other Assamese areas like Nalbari, Rangia,
Barpeta and see for yourself how much development have taken place.
Nothing much to write about.

If you do reply, atleast let other Assam netters also know what you
were talking about? [ CC to assam at assamnet.org ]

Cheers
JS

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