3 Reasons for Bangladeshi influx into Assam

Okay folks, there has been a lot of debates, panel discussions, write- ups and even agitations (The Assam Agitations), not to mention my own posts on the influx of Bangladeshi into my parent state of Assam. Well, the problem is there and a very real one at that, there are no two ways about it. But when I take a step back, and look at the whole issue from a very unbiased point of view, the following stand out as the possible reasons for the present scenario:-

• Work Culture: We, as a people lack this essential ingredient of development and progress. We love to laze around, doing the bare minimum to survive and for everything else, expect someone else to do our dirty work. And that is precisely what has happened. This was the window of opportunity that has allowed the illegal immigrant to take full advantage of, and with the passage of time, slowly but surely, allowed him to settle down in this part of the world. But it is was not the 'blue-collared' job that he was after. He understood, that was far out of his reach, instead he made the menial jobs his niche. By toiling relentlessly under the hot and humid weather conditions as a daily wage earner, a hand-cart puller or pulling a cycle-rickshaw, he became an indispensable part of the Assamese society. And we loved it. It gave us a feeling of 'master and slave'! Little did we realise the ramifications this would have on our society in the days to come. We continued to encourage and patronise these illegal immigrants. Why? We were too lazy to get our house in order by dirtying our own hands!

• Government Policies: The government at the centre really did not have have any clear cut policies to tackle this problem faced by Assam. In fact, it still does not. They talk about erecting border fences along the entire border. I have not heard of a more absurd solution to a problem than this. Imagine for a moment fencing a terrain that includes rugged hills, dense forests, rivers and the works! To me, its all just 'lip-service' to quell voices of dissensions. The political will to solve the problem of illegal immigration into Assam is just not evident in the policies formulated by the powers that be. I have seen this happen down the years.

• Vote Bank Politics: No illegal immigration is possible without the 'blessings' of the powers that be. And I am afraid Assam is that 'blessed' state of India, where the illegal immigrant from Bangladesh is treated with utter reverence by the political parties! Well he ought to be, simply because he can either make or break a political party with the power of his vote! Surprising isn't' it? Wondering how an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh have the right to vote? Well, it has happened, it is happening and I hope for the sake of my parent state, it doesn't happen in the future! I wouldn't like to go into the nitty-gritty of it all, but suffice it to say, the magnitude of the problem is huge.

So, when you have three forces acting in tandem in favour of the illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, there is little that a lay man can do to upset that rhythm.

But then all is not lost! I see a very positive change in the younger lot of my state. They are more aware about progress and development and many have embodied the spirit of entrepreneurship by setting up various units across a array of disciplines. This is extremely beneficial for the state as a whole. Besides providing livelihood opportunities to the indigenous people, it is the shift in the mindset which is more noteworthy! At Least, with this effort, work ethics is being instilled in the youth, which should in the long run, be able to nullify the primary reason for the illegal immigrant from Bangladesh, to set foot in Assam. 

The other two reasons? Well its pretty difficult to change a politician, isn't' it?