Author: Sanjeeb Bora
Publication: Organiser
Date: March 9, 2008
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=227&page=33
Vast areas of best cultivable land were settled
on by the illegal immigrants, other areas were acquired by them through trespass
and all other valuable vacant lands were being gradually swallowed up and
converted into their possessions. Assamese culture is at stake and it will
definitely change Assam demographically, if the influx from neighbouring Bangladesh
is not stopped immediately. It is a gloomy picture but then, it is a true
picture.
Assam is politically a hyper sensitive zone
and the nerve centre of the whole North-East of the Indian Union. It is one
of the most diverse and colourful places in the world in terms of ethnic grouping
as well as the richness of bio-diversity; natural resources and cultures.
A narrow land corridor provides the only physical connection to India. Assam
has contributed a lot in country's history and national reconstruction. But
for the government of India, even today, it is a distant horizon.
The burning problem of Assam is the illegal
migrants from Bangladesh. The problem started long ago i.e., prior to the
Independence of India and continues till today due to the non-performance
on the part of the government towards solving this problem. This illegal migrants
problem was rightly observed by Shri Mullan, when he wrote in his Census Report
of 1931: "Probably the most important event during the last twenty five
years, which seems likely to alter permanently the whole future of Assam and
to destroy surely more than what Burmese invaders did in 1820, the whole structure
of Assamese culture and civilisation, has been the invasion of a vast horde
of land-hungry Bengali immigrants mostly Muslim from the districts of East
Bengal and in particular from Mymensingh. I have already remarked that by
1921 the first army corps of the invaders had conquered Goalpara. The second
army corps of the invaders which followed them in the years 1921 to 1931 has
consolidated their position in that district and has also completed the conquest
of Nowgong. The Barpeta sub-division of Kamrup has also fallen to their attack
and Darraan is being invaded."
How true was Shri Mullan with his observation.
He must have gone through the history and geography of Assam minutely before
giving the correct prediction (we can say now) about the demographic changes
and cultural subversion in Assam. Vast areas of best cultivable land were
settled on by the illegal immigrants, other areas were acquired by them through
trespass and all other valuable vacant lands were being gradually swallowed
up and converted into their possessions. Assamese culture is at stake and
it will definitely change Assam demographically, if the influx from neighbouring
Bangladesh is not stopped immediately. It is a gloomy picture but then it
is a true picture.
Despite all these, the government passed the
Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals Act) and followed by Foreigners
(Tribunal) Order, 2006. IMDT Act was scrapped by the Supreme Court on July
2005. It was a setback for the UPA government and they were put in the defensive.
Even then the UPA government tried to outweigh the highest judiciary of India
by passing the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order, 2006; only to be scrapped again
by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The amendment was never made for
the benefit of the people of Assam. Hats off to the judiciary for stopping
the evil elements from changing Assam demographically. No sensible person,
who believes and practices the nationalistic religion would justify the application
of the above mentioned Acts.
We are not concerned who rules the country
as long as the administration is directed towards solving peoples problems
and making the nation strong. In this context, we can not purchase the present
government's policy of showing sympathy to a certain section of society with
grant of special privileges. Religion should not be interpreted as a way of
escape as done by the UPA government in Muslim economic appeasement policy.
One Prime Minister deceived the people of
Assam during the Chinese aggression in 1962, while the other during the Bangladesh
liberation war in 1971. Hundreds and thousands of refugees from Bangladesh
crossed the border to Assam and settled here, fuelling the already existed
burning problem of illegal immigrants. One blunder leads to another during
Congress rule. Now, again the Prime Minister under UPA government while addressing
the National Development Council Meeting, publicly instructed the civil servants
to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities particularly the Muslims
are empowered to share equitably the fruits of development. They must have
the first claim on resources.
As saying goes, "Hope is the Dream of
a Working Man". Accordingly we hope for a change of government at the
Centre, which will expedite in formulating a solution for the influx problem
of Assam. "England has only one Religion, it is England (Nationalistic
Religion)". It is our utmost duty to emphasise on the Nationalistic Religion,
rather than following pseudo-secular politics in tackling and solving the
illegal migrants problem of Assam.
(The writer can be contacted at Milan Nagar,
Dibrugarh, Assam.)
