[Assam] Sovereignty--cropper again?

[UTTAM BORTHAKUR]

**** The question was whether armed struggle solved poverty. I had agreed
that it was not the direct tool to solve poverty. However,the revolutions/
upheavals referred to, whether palatable to hear or not, paved the way for
huge reformation in the respective countries referred to. Kerensky
government in Russia was apparently democratic. So was Sun Yet Sen's
people's democracy. Yet there were revolutions. Now the question is whether
India's democracy is vibrant. Had it been so, and the people really had
their voice as it should be in a participatory democracy, then why the all
pervading corruption, why the conflicts between groups, nationalities,
classes, ethnicities vis-a-vis the State ,why the lackasidical income/
wealth distribution, why the squalor that is sold by/ at the West, why the
naxalites that rear their heads from time to time? For that matter, is it a
proposition  that increase in literacy in India, especially among north east
tribes, have kept all of  them away from the armed or secessionist path?
There is no comparison between oyster and apple here; It would be
interesting if some one could tell us the genetic structural difference
between the two. People tell me that there is not much difference between
that of the human and of the pig; is that  the reason why Vladimir Illyich
said about the Russian democracy represented by the Duma that a ********* 's
 parliament is a pig sty? We shall have to see what the Indian democracy is
really like; you can throw so many stars at the Elephant's rear (Manoj Das's
favourite expression), it is allowed. But, if you try to stop  Arcel Mittal
or Bellary's loot, Chidambaram may not be so kind. So, 'democracy' in India
may not be the end of history; it has scope for great improvement. And
whether it is achieved through democratic means or otherwise would be
conjecture, let us not debate on the basis of conjectures about future



*deka* kjit.deka at gmail.com
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*Thu May 6 20:21:09 IST 2010*


   - I do not see any point in comparing apples with oysters.
   The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of radical social and
   political upheaval in French and European history. The absolute
   monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years.
   The Russian Revolution is the collective term for the series of
   revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy
   and led to the creation of the Soviet Union.
   The Chinese revolution was a series of great political upheavals in
   China between 1911 and 1949 which eventually led to Communist Party
   rule. In 1912 a nationalist revolt overthrew the imperial Manchu
   dynasty.
   THEREFORE, WHILE THE COMMON PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE ANY VOICE PRIOR TO
   THOSE REVOLUTIONS,INDIA,IN SHARP CONTRAST,IS A VIBRANT DEMOCRACY.
   If the GOI has not adopted an overall development strategy for
   tribals,then how about looking into the history of tribal development
   in the Northeast, particularly Mizoram,Nagaland,Meghalaya and Manipur.
   About 50 years ago, the tribals of this region were as illiterate as
   those of Dandakaranya. But today Mizoram has 95 per cent literacy
   (more than Kerala), Manipur has 68.87 per cent, Meghalaya 63.31 per
   cent and Nagaland 66.11 per cent.
   KJD