Santanu, > I could see that it was laced with unwarranted sarcasm in different > directions >(which is unpleasant but perfectly fine with me.)
It was not my intention to sarcasm (if any) on you per se. It was directed more toward what I discerned from your posting (and from C'da response in trying to show a different slant to ULFA's demands) > The implication is that securing meaningful autonomy is going to take much > >stronger pressure than the ULFA can exert through its militant activities. A > >broadbased people's movement will be needed. Formation of public opinion > will >be crucial. With that I can agree. Whether it actually comes about in some fashion will depend on how much public opinionis there for autonomy and how much the GOI is agreeable. --Ram On 6/3/05, Roy, Santanu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am not sure what you meant to actually say in your response. > I could see that it was laced with unwarranted sarcasm in different > directions (which is unpleasant but perfectly fine with me.) > The purpose of my original message was to point out that the difficulties of > a negotiated settlement are not simply abut getting ULFA to the table; that > even if one were to go to the GOI with a demand for limited autonomy, it > might be met with no less disdain and even brutal force, for reasons of > political economy. The Indian state does not suffer certain forms of dissent > such as ones that call into question the terms of the union, priveleges of > the political and administrative elite, the power linkages that sustain it. > (And to be fair, the elite of no state would suffer such dissent easily.) > The implication is that securing meaningful autonomy is going to take much > stronger pressure than the ULFA can exert through its militant activities. A > broadbased people's movement will be needed. Formation of public opinion will > be crucial. > > > Santanu. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Ram Sarangapani [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 12:34 PM > > To: Roy, Santanu > > Cc: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Assam] GOI-ULFA Negotiations II > > > > > > >There is a presumption that the main obstacle to a negotiated > > settlement >between the ULFA and the Govt. Of india is the question of > > absolute sovereignty >for Assam > > > > That is a new twist. Sure had a lot of us fooled. And all this time, > > we were under the impression that ULFA was all about the issue of > > sovereignty. > > Why, in fact, the last time they backed out of negotiations because > > 'sovereignty' wasn't on the table. > > > > >Indeed, it as been suggested by many that but for the demand for > > sovereignty, it >would be easy to arrive at settlement where, for > > example > > > > Maybe some do, but most just want the two parties at the discussion > > table first, then maybe something beneficial could be hammared out. > > Then there is feeling that Assam may after all have peace. > > > > >and the impression is that in fact, the government of India is > > actually quite willing >to grant that. > > > > The GOI has on occassion talked about autonomy for Kasmir with some > > caveats. Then there are several states that have been expressing > > interest in autonomy. > > > > There is a higher degree of success for some kind of autonomy, then > > for a hubris- loaded demand for sovereignty. > > > > IMHO, if a number of states (not just NE) formed a coalition of sorts > > to demand for more autonomy, there are better chances for success. > > > > >The history of India in the last 50 years is one of moving towards > > greater >centralization of powers. It is the centralization which > > provides the economic and >political rents that the civil servants and > > politicians make in Delhi - and distribute >to their lower fiefs in > > the states. Rivers of blood will have to flow before they give >even > > one bit of it.> By a negotiated settlement with insurgents, govt of > > India >means two things: i) handing out more doles - as grants, as > > bridges, roads and >universities > > > ii) handing over political power (along with slush funds) > > at the state level to >former leaders of insurgencies. > > > > If all this true and tested, then why all the fuss about 'negotiation' > > when we know the GOI will ONLY give up the 2 listed above. If rivers > > of blood have to flow before the GOI gives up the ghost, then in the > > practical sense, there are only 2 options: > > > > a)Set the country aflame by insurgency & mayhem or whatever > > b)Negotiate so that the 2 listed above is handed out by the GOI. > > > > > This is not a matter of opinion - its the construction of > > every agreement that the >GOI has signed > > > > The keyword is "agreement". Didn't the other parties sign on the > > dotted line. If these are sham agreements, then all parties are > > culpable. Why blame only the GOI. Were the other parties sleeping > > during the negotiations? > > > > > The GOI's strategy is to wait and hope that all militancy > > will eventually tire and >get corrupted to a degree that > > doles and state level ministries can buy out. Then >it can > > just do another Assam accord of 1985. > > > > Whose fault is that? If the militancy don't tire and don't get > > corrupted, and be bought, the GOI's strategy would fail, wouldn't it? > > > > --Ram > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 6/3/05, Roy, Santanu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > There is a presumption that the main obstacle to a > > negotiated settlement between the ULFA and the Govt. Of india > > is the question of absolute sovereignty for Assam. Indeed, it > > as been suggested by many that but for the demand for > > sovereignty, it would be easy to arrive at settlement where, > > for example, Assam could easily gain a high degree of > > autonomy - and the impression is that in fact, the government > > of India is actually quite willing to grant that. > > > > > > Nothing could be further from truth. > > > > > > Let me suggest that on its own, the government of India is > > absolutely not willing and has never - since 1950 - granted > > one additional iota of autonomy or transferred one iota of > > actual power to the states or carried out a single > > constitutional amendment that transfers functions to the > > states. The history of India in the last 50 years is one of > > moving towards greater centralization of powers. It is the > > centralization which provides the economic and political > > rents that the civil servants and politicians make in Delhi - > > and distribute to their lower fiefs in the states. Rivers of > > blood will have to flow before they give even one bit of it. > > > > > > By a negotiated settlement with insurgents, govt of India > > means two things: > > > i) handing out more doles - as grants, as bridges, roads > > and universities > > > ii) handing over political power (along with slush funds) > > at the state level to former leaders of insurgencies. > > > > > > This is not a matter of opinion - its the construction of > > every agreement that the GOI has signed. From the point of > > the rulers in Delhi, the issue is very clear. Giving one > > additional degree of autonomy to one state is going to open > > the floodgates and unravel the nature of power structure of > > the Indian "union". As it is, economic liberalization has > > made many of the states more powerful than ever imaginable in > > a socialist economy. > > > > > > The GOI's strategy is to wait and hope that all militancy > > will eventually tire and get corrupted to a degree that doles > > and state level ministries can buy out. Then it can just do > > another Assam accord of 1985. > > > > > > For the people of Assam, short of a fundamental > > restucturing of constitutional power, every other accord will > > just as meaningless as the accord of 1985. > > > > > > Santanu. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Assam mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > > > > > Mailing list FAQ: > > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > > > To unsubscribe or change options: > > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > > > > > _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
