Salute Mahanta da
I had to come back to you. You said something like
this.
****But I don't think such answers will be
forthcoming. Our friends here are more interested in
having me submit to their inquisitions than answering
questions to their proposals and ideas. I have gotten
used to the idea however. I realize, I wouldn't be the
lightning rod, if my arguments did NOT score any
points. If they did not, they would not elicit the
kind of reactions they usually do .That is reward
enough for me to continue to serve as the designated
punching bag of Assamnet****
As Shri Mridul Bhuya pointed out, we should give
response to the valid points you have raised. I will
give it a try-bhool hole raize xudhorai dibo.
Going back to your valid points!
****That is the point I was trying to drive home; the
ineffectiveness or more precisely the absence of
realism in the various posts by netters who could
expected to be far more result oriented than their
proposals indicate. I don't devalue your good-will.
That is all very good. But good-will or good-wishes
sans realism will do little to cure that 'mohamari'
that you all have been railing against.****
I am not sure whether it is a mohamari. But disease
it is-and surely requires medication or therapy or
operation or amputation. Rather than a killer disease
it could be one of those embarrassing irritating
conditions like Orxo or Kesumuri. Piles & Fistula!
And if it falls in this category of disease, the
treatment could be appropriate like a localized
operation. And if that does not work and the symptoms
keep on reappearing, another option could be to best
leave it untreated so that people start living with
the condition with sheer nonchalance, save some
moments of irritating etchings. And after sometime it
does not matter!!
In my opinion the onus lies with all these groups. If
they stick to their position and continue with the
nuisance warfare then this three pronged approach of
1) armed operation by police/army etc, 2) wooing and
intended/unintended swaying away of segments of people
by developmental schemes and things like autonomous
council etc and 3) total rejection by masses will
eventually lead to their disappearance from the state.
This entire 30 year old struggle will amount to much
ado nothing.
If there is a slightest sense of sincerity on the part
of these groups then they should surrender without
asking for any fat rehabilitation package. And all
the money they have amassed (if they are at all in a
position get back from Bangla bank) should be
converted into a charity to be used for the cause of
development of Assam and for boosting Assamese pride.
Like sponsoring Assamese mountaineer for Mount Everest
expedition etc. And as Mr. Mohan said they will be
remembered as the greatest heroes of Assam forever.
Thats much better than life in exile/oblivion or the
SULFA tag.
In the process they may with a set of intelligent
second rung of demands get for Assam and Assamese
something much concrete than the abstract
independence. And once they come to mainstream and
settle down, they can look forward to rekindling the
hope for Purna Swaraj if they can sway people in their
way.
Remember Mr. Hagrama saying that BTC is a step towards
separate state to be realised in 20 years. Politics or
rhetoric-it came from a party chief sharing power in
Dispur. To say that you need to have lots of guts,
political muscle and may be populist support. Point I
am driving home is that if you are serious about your
goal, you would not be afraid of taking small steps.
**** Yes, I do write a lot of critical things about
India. But that is different from "HATE". And if you
find those criticisms untrue, unfair or otherwise
unwarranted, then all you need to demolish them,
putting me in my place, is to point them out. Rebut.
Refute. It is good for you to try that. Because you
will need to do your homework to do so, and in the
process will become more informed****
It is very difficult to be unbiased as well as
critical without unconsciously hating the object of
your criticism. How come same critical analysis, we
have not seen when comes to ULFA? What we see instead
is pitiable attempt to cover up their misdeeds which
even their illustrious publicity secretary of
yesteryears Siddhartha Phukan would not have
attempted. Or is your stand-critical analysis of India
but blind defence of ULFA. But generally one sided
critical analysis can be construed as biasness and in
extreme cases as hatred towards the object of critical
analysis.
****I would not badger you on this, only because I
know you mean well. But I also know very well where
the ISI-paranoia amongst desis spring from. It has
everything do with deeply-rooted Hindu /Muslim
bigotries and animus so pervasive in north, central,
west and south India, translated to ownership
pretenses of Kashmir, never mind what the Kashmiris
who call it home want, leading to the Pakistan/India
conflicts that gave rise to ISI and Jihad and has
escalated into today's Islamic and Hindu militancy.
Assam and the contiguous states and Bengal , barring
the Hindu Siletis displaced from today's B'desh,have
been relatively free of that debilitating desi
condition. Only in recent years, thanks to Hindian
influences, compounded by the GoI propaganda to
discredit ULFA, has this ISI paranoia begun to take
root in Assam.****
Mahanta da-ki koise? Otitok pahori gol? Bhaxa
andulonot bhaag luwa nasil neki? Assamese people were
always paranoid since 1846(?) when Bengali was made
the official language. Why? What was wrong with
Bengali-specially the Sylheti kind? We could have
lived with Assamese dubbed as a dialect of Bengali the
way totally unintelligible Magahi and Kumauni are
considered forms of Hindi or Sylheti (which could have
been a separate language as a dialect-continuum
between Assamese and Bengali) a form of deviant
Bengali. It was our paranoia at that time stemming
from our real or perceived threat to the linguistic
identity which resulted in hate Bengali campaign. We
did not need any coaching from any North Indian
brothers at that time. Or did we? You will know
better.
So please dont say that Assamese did not have
paranoia. Now the situation is that you board a
rickshaw in Guwahati and tell the man to take you to
Uzan Bazar, he will give you a blank look exposing his
recent entry to the city and if you carry on the
conversation with him further you realise how Assamese
is spoken in the alien land Dhubri from which he
claims to be. It is not about Moslem or Bengali, but
the paranoia is stemming from this recent exodus of
people with completely alien culture who unlike the
previous generations of migrants are not in a mood to
assimilate or forgo their traits.
Instead of BDeshis if these recent migrants would have
been Burmese or Nepalese, the reaction from the native
people including Barpetiya speaking Muslims of sor
area would have been the same. If 30-40% of the
population would have been Burmese or Nepalese, same
would have been dubbed as sarong or khukri menace.
The changes due to this exodus are all too apparent.
30 years back Burka clad ladies were common sight in
Delhi or in Hyderabad but not in Assam. So when you
see such trends in Assam, you dont start believing
that they are mutant species of the Assamese Muslims.
I think you know that all the states of India agreed
to make a sacrifice for the sake of Assam. No body is
insisting on linguistic break-up of 2001 Indian census
which has been officially kept secret. Neither ULFA
nor AASU or any other peer group will dare to ask
government to release the figure officially which will
surely show a negative rise for Assamese speaking
population. Once you attain certain threshold, you
will be averse to the idea of assimilation and thats
what may be happened during 2001. In 2001 census I
think millions in Brahmaputra valley returned their
original language and not Assamese as the mother
tongue. Hence it suits every body to not to ask for
the actual figures which will expose many myths on
Assams population and language fronts.
I would be grateful somebody amongst the Assam netters
having link with bureaucracy could throw some light on
the linguistic cover up of 2001 census.
By the way Mahanta da, this paranoia amongst Assamese
which led to formation of all those organizations like
O Bha U Xaa, OXaXo to save the language from Bangla,
manifested again amongst the indigenous tribal groups
of Assam when the Bodos for the fear of assimilation
into Assamese mainstream decided rather to settle for
alien Devnagri than a familiar Assamese script. So
ultimately bottom line is-do you still think this
paranoia is something which has been there because of
orchestration of communal Indian brothers or is very
much home grown thing-Assamese becoming paranoid of
Bengali, Bodos becoming paranoid of Assamese, Santhals
becoming paranoid of Bodos and so on?
In fact many older generation Bengalis would like to
believe that Assamese identity and nationality were
born out of paranoia and this latest bout of paranoia
against ISI/BDeshi could be the last of uncomfortable
stirrings of a population which will ultimately meet
its nemesis which was denied to it during the
partition 60 years back.
****I don't dispute the fact of ISI's dirty record.
So is RAW's. But ISI cannot be THAT powerful. ISI
today is the code-word for demonizing everything
associated with Islam. And its cultivated fear is an
essential GLUE to hold the tattered bonds of Indian
nationalism together.****
How do you know it not that powerful? The fact that it
can find sympathizer amongst huge migrant Muslim
population in eastern India compared to RAWs obvious
disadvantage on that front -does not that make ISI
more potent and troublesome than RAW?
****Can you tell me, with a straight face that if
ULFA disappeared today, tomorrow Assam's prosperity
will take off the ground? That its problems will
disappear like a bad dream?****
If ULFA disappeared today, Assam would have been as
developed or underdeveloped as Orissa, Meghalaya or
may be Tamil Nadu. I dont know how prosperous the
state would have become, but one thing is the sure
that people of Assam would not have worried about many
day to day things which you do or take for granted
like: Going to a watch a Bollywood movie (without fear
of bomb blast); Riding is a bus (without fear of bomb
blast); Go to Haflong (without fear of being abducted)
and surely you dont want me to go on
.
Whether you call that prosperity or peace of mind-I am
not sure.
***ut I am informed. And my information is not based
on Indian propaganda or Assam establishment's
propaganda.***
We would like to see the source of your
information-whether they come directly from the
revolutionaries or are crop of imagination of a
fertile mind.
****It used to be that I too thought and spoke like
you guys regarding ULFA at one time. But pretty soon I
began to see, right here thru Assamnet what has been
going on . And I dug deeper. More I sought, more I
found. And thus my entire outlook changed to where it
is today.****
We would be interested to know what was that which
brought this radical transformation. I know you have
an analytical mind-but to fuel the analysis you must
have stumbled on something very revealing or startling
to convert you to a supporter from detractor. Share
that with us-please.
***That is why I wrote to Dilip Deka yesterday that
people can and do change. It all depends on one's
desire to seek the truths. One can take the position
that he knows all he needs to know and remain there.
Or can take the analytical approach and go wherever it
may lead to. Choice is ours.***
May be many of us are ready to take the analytical
approach. Just show us the path without being
philosophical and abstract.
****Misguided is in the eye of the beholder.
Misguided people also cannot see what has been going
on in Assam. But being beneficiaries of the status
quo, they seem to thing that is the best thing for the
rest as well****
Leave aside the beneficiaries like me and YOU. Lets
talk about the rest. How are you sure that rest are
not in the mood to enjoy the benefit of status quo in
form of say a job in public sector, an IT job in
Hyderabad with a goal of one way ticket to Houston,
education for children without Bandhs and bomb blasts
and additional fringe benefits like reservation,
scheduling, 6th schedule etc?
How do you know the rest are clamouring for
independence and not these materialistic aspirations?
Have you seen any recent display of peoples
inclination towards separation from India? Of course
you may not point us to ULFA coz otherwise you will
have to explain the appearance and positions of NDFB,
KLO, UPDS, DHD, NSCN also who have eyes on the same
piece of land.
By the way are not the ULFA top brass the biggest
beneficiary of the status quo? To start dialogue why
do they have to ask for release of Mama, Khura, Peha?
And if the GOI is ready to talk say on sovereignty
also and ask ULFA to provide a map of the proposed
area they have in mind. Will they be able to produce
that for the fear of raising protestations from their
mates like NDFB, KLO, UPDS, NSCN and other
organizations like AASU, ABSU and in the process
exposing the hollowness of their support base?
So is not status quo best for them?
****You say ULFA LOST the support of local people.
Are you suggesting they HAD support before? If they
did WHY was it? And what happened that caused them to
withdraw that support?****
They had support-because of their populist steps,
extra judicial justices, disillusionment with AGP
incarnation of AASU etc! It had nothing to do with the
treaty of Yandaboo, dwelling on which would
technically hand over upper Assam districts not to the
independence seekers but to the descendents of King of
Ava.
Why they lost support? May be Assamese people have
become wiser having seen it all. May be the
revolutionaries were simply not inspiring
enough-people need motivation-is not it. It can use
couple of thousands of extorted money to recruit a
bomb deliverer or a mercenary, but you will need
enough of logical ammunition to sustain belief of and
to get support from 26 million people of the state.
****Again, 'foreign' and 'evil' are words to fit ones
propaganda needs and to devalue the humanity of
others. When you speak of ISI's evil, you don't speak
of RAW's evil, as if it does not exist, or cannot
exist. Why Mohan? Where is your 'fair and balanced'
outlook here?****
With the demography as it stands, can you honestly say
Guptaji, Subramanian led RAW can be that pervasive in
Pakistans to bring some internal turmoil. They may
have the same evil intent but not the same strategic
advantage.
****Few months ago, I spent a lot of time articulating
almost exactly these issues, albeit from MY
perspective, in my words, with the hope that the
requests and challenges were made with a sincerity of
purpose, to engage in a constructive dialogue to help
people set some goals for Assam govt's. betterment .
But they were not. In fact it became abundantly clear
from the arguments made for their rejection, some so
poorly contrived that they verged on insults to the
intelligence of ordinary people. The real intent could
have been best described as 'apwnar naak-kati xotinir
jatra bhongo korar proyax'****
Here Mahanta da-by any chance are you referring to my
condemnation of your treatise? There were quite a few
good points-I did admit if you remember. But I told it
was no good as you could not say anything on the
resources part, how governance will be different from
present one. All you presented was an idealised Indian
constitution.
In another mail I will for your benefit reproduce some
of my numerous rebuttals which you never clarified but
seem to have rejected as poorly contrived.
***That argument is another propaganda designed by
Indians and Indian apologist Oxomiyas. How will you
answer to the question of Assam's condition BEFORE
ULFA happened? Why was it so?***
Before ULFA happened, Assams condition was good or
bad is a subjective question. But based on personal
experience, I can at least tell you that Assams
condition before 1979 was PEACEFUL.
And in hindsight peace can be equated with Good-is not
it?
****If not, what are your recommendations? What do YOU
bring to the table? How do you see it resolved?****
For a change lets look it from an independent seeker
like you or Mr. Challenge Brahmas viewpoints.
NDFB is also projected to be a potent terrorist
outfit. They also have same set of demand. Imagine you
are not US based Chandan Mahanta but Mr. Challenge
Brahma from Udalguri .Now from your new persona,
please tell us:
Would you agree to your piece of land going to ULFAs
independent Asom?
Or would you prefer to stay in Assam as part of India.
Or if it is independence from India is what forced
upon you-why not NDFBs independent Bodoland for you?
It is a multiple choice question for Challenge. Can
you help Mr. Brahma out of this quagmire and then we
will say how we want it solved?
***ULFA maybe all things you attempt to portray them
as, and even worse, but HOW does that solve the
problem?***
As I said earlier, the onus is on the group. They
should respect the public sentiment. Otherwise people
of Assam will start to live life with them as minor
irritant. And they should be ready for violent
reprisal from public if they surface amongst Assamese
or for that matter amongst anybody.
****Just like you all, I too want the conflict to end.
But not on YOUR ( by this I include all of you who
have vented your clueless frustrations ) terms, a
surrender to Indian interests. I would like to see
ULFA obtain for Assam the rights to re-form its
governance to a modern, truly democratic state with a
rule of law and the right to have full control over
its resources****.
Thats an ultimate faith and honour you have bestowed
on the organization-your call Mahanta da. We may also
join you if you can you please give us some comfort
(being fence sitters and clueless, we need to be
assured all the time) by showing that the group is not
as clueless as us about the state it is going to
establish. Remember the points I raised about clash of
interest with the Teen paati mates, geographical area,
official language, religion, land rights of Kalita of
Nalbari, Gogoi of Pani dihing etc.
Mahanta da-I would say you should relax-as the onus is
not on you to fabricate things for them. You blind
adherence to the group is a service enough.
****Those of you who are satisfied with your vision of
an Assam as an Indian colony to be exploited by
outsiders with a few in Assam sharing in the loot, as
things are today, that is your burden***.
As far as exploitation is concerned-it is matter of
perception Mahanta da. You have to see Assam from
Kerala or Bihar and not from America to comment on
that. To a Bihari or Bengali from WB we may look like
a pampered lot of banana mouthing morons.
And as I said many times before whats the guarantee
that those in the helm of affair in the new set up
will not indulge in lootings and exploitation? Dont
you remember the rise and fall of about ULFAs distant
cousin Au Ga Pa?
***There are those of us who are not handicapped by
such a mindset, will continue to speak up for Assam's
rights.***
By all means Mahanta da. Every body will gain if you
do it as a pragmatic Assamese but not as a blind
follower of the clueless lot.
These were my response to your valid points. Let
people like Mr. Bhuya judge the response to valid
points you raised. On your part, if you really feel
you have to reply, we will be obliged if give your
reply to queries I raised (which I am again
reproducing below)
1) Should ULFA take small step with some second rung
of demands or maintain the status-quo?
2) Being uncomfortable seeing a perceived linguistic,
ethnic threat-is it paranoia? And if so, is it
something new for Assamese?
3) Does ISI not have more capability to foment trouble
in Assam than RAW in Sind?
4) If ULFA, NDFB, UPDS all disappeared tomorrow
without giving independence to the people, will Assam
not be a bit more peaceful saved some bruised egos?
5) What was it which you stumbled upon which converted
you to a supporter from detractor?
6) Do you receive the mouthpiece to get a different
insight which all of us are deprived of?
7) With the demography as it stands, can you honestly
believe that RAW can be that pervasive in Pakistans
to bring some internal turmoil?
8) Mr. Challenge Brahmas viewpoint on ULFAs
independent Asom!
9) How do you see the resolution to this situation
where all the mates clamour for same piece of land?
10) The new government you have in mind, will it allow
Mr Gogoi and Shri Das to settle in NC Hills?
Please try to give reply to above adha kuri prosno.
Best regards
Chitta
Regards
Chitta
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