You asked just one question that needed answering:
>8) Don't
you think your policy will take away the basic freedom of an Indian to
live anywhere freely in any state in >India? Today an Assamese can
live in Gujarat, buy property, and remain as Assamese. Don't you think
your >policy will take away this basic freedom?
*** Indians can live in India, their homeland. Assam will
welcome limited number of immigrants, like you are in the USA, in a
controlled manner; will be my guess about how an independent Assam
will deal with the issue. Similarly India may or may not allow
immigrants from Assam in their midst. But contemporary realities will
dictate that both, an independent Assam and India will retain cultural
contacts and will have mutual economic interests, resulting in a
friendly and neighborly existence.
This has become necessary due to the ABSENCE of the checks and
balances of a democratic Indian state the people of Assam hoped for
and banked on when they agreed to join India when the British left,
leaving them exploited and robbed of their rights in their own
homeland.
*** Everything else you ask are questions contrived to keep Assam
as a colony for Indian interests. Your concerns for the rights of the
indigenous peoples of the region is, and their cultural/language
identities are at best, affected ones and lack sincerity, as
could be well ascertained from some of your own arguments right here
in this forum; as in your taunting of Tarun Gogoi et al, for NOT
having the GUTS to enforce Assamese as the state language of Assam,
'even after India has given Assam the permission' or some such
assertions.
Your arguments, as seen often here, are attempts to have it both
ways; demonstrating an underlying need for recognition driving you,
and not necessarily for the best of the people of Assam.
At 12:44 AM -0600 12/28/05, Barua25 wrote:
"Assam IS for the Assamese -- those who BELONG to Assam. It is their homeland. It includes many different ethnic groups. Ahoms, Bodos, Dimasas, Misings, Karbis-- etc. etc. Assam is NOT the homeland for Biharis, not for Marwaris, not for B'deshis. They can be guests there. And become Assamese in time thru a process of assimilation. But they cannot REMAIN itinerant Marwaris and Biharis and B'deshis but claim to be Assamese at the same time. That is the difference" - Chandan Mahanta (Jan 26, 2005)
Chandan:No I have not asked you the questions yet. Many questions arise out of your above statement; Following are some.1) What exactly the slogan : Assam IS for Assamese mean? What is the definition of an Assamese.Mr Dhiren Bezbarooah told me this time that they had been asked at one time to leave Assam as some people donot consider them to be Assamese. Where do you think this Assam for Assamese will end?2) Does Assam for Assamese mean that only Assamese language will be considered as the national language of Assam? What about other languages?3) You mentioned about being assimilated into Assamese to be an Assamese. With what yardstick, you measure the process of 'assimilation"? Ability to speak Assamese and dance Bihu Dance? Does it mean those who have not assimilated into Assamese by your standard will not get equal right in Assam? Will they have voting right? Will they be taxed more than an Assamese?4) Will the children of Assamese parents living outside Assam be considered as Assamese although they donot know how to speak Assamese and dance Bihu dance (that is if that is the yardstick)?5) Some ethnic groups like the Bodos have not assimilated into the Assamese, and never intend to and most of them actually claim not to be considered as Assamese at all but to be considered as Bodos and are claiming for separate Bodoland. Where they will fit in your scheme for Assam for Assamese? What about the Dimasas, Mising and others? What if they donot want to be considered as Assamese? Do they have any freedom in choice, or is ir a leave it or take it policy by force?6) You have not shown the Bengalis in Assam who have been living in Assam for ages and who love Assam but who want to remain as Bengalis, maintaining their separate culture, where they will fit? Can they claim Assam as their homeland? Will they be second-class citizens in Assam?7) Same thing goes for Nepalis, Marwaris, Biharis, Bangladeshi and others who have been living in Assam for aghes, have landed property in Assam but donot want to assimilate and claim as Assamese, what will be their fate? Why you want them to assimilate into Assamese? Again what is the crieria of assimilation? Speaking Assamese and dancing Bihu dance?8) Don't you think your policy will take away the basic freedom of an Indian to live anywhere freely in any state in India? Today an Assamese can live in Gujarat, buy property, and remain as Assamese. Don't you think your policy will take away this basic freedom?9) Don't you think your above policy will farther divide the people of Assam? Is this not the reason why we lost the Khasis, the Nagas, the Lusais, the Garos and others because of Assamese hegemony among them.10) Do you find such policy in any country? Texas for Texans only etc? Thus is it not against basic individual freedom of people?Anyhow this is flatly not my Assam. Later I will tell you what policy will be in force in my Assam.RB
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
assam@assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
