7 States and 14 Militant Groups in the North East! Mind Boggling, isn't it?

The 14 militant groups or lets call them 'The G-14', are the 'big-wigs' of the region, in terms of experience, manpower, arms and expertise in subversive activities. Besides The G-14, there are other smaller, splinter groups that usually sprout because of some difference or the other with their leadership; these are a 'dime a dozen'! Not so much a threat, but generally an irritant to the security forces.

Let's take a closer look at the state-wise breakup of 'The G-14'.

• Assam: Leading the pack is the ULFA or the United Liberation Front of Asom. Followed by the NDFB or the National Democratic Front of Bodoland. Then there is the KLNLF or Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front, and finally the UPDS or United Peoples' Democratic Solidarity.

• Manipur: The major militant outfits of this state are the PLA or Peoples Liberation Army and the PREPAK or People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak.

• Meghalaya: The 'abode of the clouds' has a dubious distinction of rearing three militant outfits, namely the ANVC or Achik National Volunteer Council, HNLC or Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council and GNLA or the Garo National Liberation Army.

• Mizoram: More or less a peaceful state barring one outfit, the HPC (D) or the Hmar People's Convention (Democratic).

• Nagaland: Perhaps the oldest of all the militant groups in the region is from this state. Earlier known as the NSCN or the National Socialist Council of Nagaland  since been split into the NSCN (I-M) or NSCN (Isak-Muivah) and NSCN (K) or NSCN (Khaplang).

• Tripura: The militant outfits active in this state are the NLFT National Liberation Front of Tripura and the ATTF or the All Tripura Tiger Force.

• Arunachal Pradesh: The youngest among the 'Seven Sisters', Arunachal still has not opened its account with militancy per se. But it is still guilty of aiding and abetting militancy by way of opening its lush green jungles to all the other militant outfits as a safe haven for setting up training camps and hide-outs! 

So, there you have it, 14 militant outfits spread across the seven states of the northeast of the Indian subcontinent!

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?    

Will a Separate Time Zone for the North East be Beneficial?

I was a bit amused by reading the Sunday supplement of the  "Assam Tribune", a leading newspaper of Assam and the region as a whole. In one of the articles, the author, enumerates several factors that plague the northeastern region of India thus stunting its growth and advocates, guess what, a separate time zone as an answer to all the vexing problems!

So, I did a quick research and found that the region is about 2,55, 500 sq. km. (approx.) in area, which is about 7 per cent of India's total landmass and with an approximate population of 45 million (4%). Mind you this is spread across the "Seven Sisters"!

Now, with this backdrop of the region, will a separate time zone for the region be feasible?  I personally feel this is not the answer to the development of the region. Although the author opines that, by being ahead of the rest of the country by 1 to 1.5 hours, we in the northeastern part of the country lose 'daylight' and as such there is a dip in our productivity due to this geographical phenomena and goes on to give several other reasons that are counter productive. 

One that seems rather absurd is the rise in the consumption of alcohol. Come on man, this is rather far fetched! A person hooked to the bottle will take to the bottle immaterial of whether his time zone is changed or remains the same.

But what caught my attention was the mention about Bangladesh enjoying a steady economic growth because of being 30 minutes ahead of us in the northeastern part of India. Well that's good isn't it, but then if that be the case, then why is there unabated influx across the border? Why can't Bangladesh provide employment to its own citizens? Why then should these illegal immigrants continue to cross over to these parts, especially Assam, set up base and procreate like nobodies business and create an imbalance in the demography that's been the bane for so much of turmoil in the state of Assam? 

Yes, I do agree the North East of India has a long way to go in terms of economic development and growth, but setting up a separate time zone for the region is certainly not the answer. It is no magic wand! Just by setting the clock back and saying "OK we are now at par with the rest of the country, so lets get our act together and grow". It doesn't happen that way, there is more, much more that each of us in this region needs to do for it to happen. The effort is more "inward" rather than "outward"!

You can read the full write up at A Matter of Time

Take a moment to read up on the above link and let me know of your opinions.

Thanks!!

7 Sisters of the Northeast of India

Popularly known as the "Seven Sisters", this nomenclature in reality denotes the seven states that comprise the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent.

I am sometimes surprised when people from my own country, including the powers that be, refer to the seven states of the northeast of India as the 'Northeast'! I mean, come on people, this region comprises of seven states, namely, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Each of these states have very distinct characteristics that are unique to each on its own. So clubbing them as one entity, does not do justice to the vibrancy that each state exudes!

Generalizing the region as the 'Northeast', I guess is fine, but to understand and experience the uniqueness of each of the constituents of the "Seven Sisters", one has to come and enjoy first hand what each one of these states has to offer. And I can assure you, that would be a handful. The warmth, natural beauty, simplicity and the colourful people will make you come back for more.

It is in no way my intention to make my posts a writ-up for promoting tourism of this region, in fact the truth couldn't farther. Thats the work of the respective state tourism departments, where everything is spruced and showcased for all and sundry. What my intentions are, is to give you a first hand information, with no holds barred, that would help you to understand this 'region' as a whole. 

I have started this journey with posts regarding my parent state of Assam, there's still so much more I need to share with you. I sometimes sit and wonder when will I get around to the other "Sisters" of the northeast of India?

But I guess, patience and perseverance and a good dose of viewership support from you guys out there, should get me there!

Of Bangladeshis' and the northeast of India!

Where or when does one say, "Okay, that's enough, this must stop!"

I am referring to the influx of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. The very exodus of people moving freely across the border into the fertile soils of India, in particular, that of Assam, had led to the famous/infamous (you be the judge of that!) Assam Agitation of the late nineteen hundreds. An accord was signed and one of the clauses of that accord was the Detection, Deletion and Deportation of these illegal immigrants. But sadly I must confess, more than three decades down the line, nothing concrete has materialised in this regard.

The irony I must add was that, a government was formed on the backdrop of this agitation, there was a lot of expectation from those elected to power, as these were the same persons who spearheaded the agitation. But even the span of ten years in power could not yield any tangible results with regards to the influx! Well I wouldn't like to go in details about the successive governments, both in the state as well as the centre, and their efforts to check this cancerous growth, called "Bangladeshi influx". But suffice it to say that, it was more of a blessing in disguise for the politicians. 

Now what does the central leadership have to say, after our country has been 'Modi-fied'? I clearly recall a statement where our Prime Minister had earmarked the 16th of May 2014, when the illegal immigrants had to pack their bags and leave and I thought to myself, well here's a guy who talks tough but can he 'walk the talk'? Anyways, I didn't really believe him. And I was proved correct!

A few weeks back, our foreign minister lands up in Dhaka on a good-will mission to try and improve bilateral relations and it was hoped that she would also discuss the burning issue of influx. But what a let down! The issue was never brought up leave alone discussing it. And to rub salt into the wounds, she goes ahead and announces that those under the age of thirteen and above sixty-five, don't require legal documents to enter our country. Oh! Had I been in such a situation, I would have thoroughly welcomed it! And I guess those in Bangladesh are certainly licking and smacking their lips at this opportunity. Imagine the joy of waltzing into another country on the veracity of one's birth certificate, which by the way, can easily be duplicated and tampered with in our side of the world by greasing the palms of some officials in the health department. And to top it all off, the foreign minister goes and announces a bus service from Guwahati (capital of Assam, in case you didn't know) to Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh!

Well done Madam Foreign Minister, this was the 'icing on the cake' we were so eagerly waiting for! I mean let us all welcome them with open arms in a legal way. This would cut down on the wastage of money, time and manpower in trying to put up defunct border fences, that would never materialise. Look, I have no qualms nor am I in any way against having good neighbourly relations, I fully understand that no one can survive in isolation, but there has to be proper check and balances in place to ensure that the indigenous populace is not harmed in any manner. 

But can this be actually expected from our leaders? I have my doubts. Their whole game is one of one upmanship and as long as this attitude pervades, logical thinking will never surface. 

And what of our student leaders who are still crying sore about the whole affair? Well, I guess they will just have to live to fight another day!

'General Elections' and the North East!

This is election year in India.

When we as citizens of this great country of ours, exercise our constitutional rights and elect our parliamentarians, to govern the country for another fresh term. And like the rest of the country, the northeast, has also exercised her rights, barring a few districts of lower Assam, which go to polls on the 24th of April.

It was rather funny reading about and watching TV coverage of the campaigning efforts of the two major political parties of India. It was like, you know, "monkey see - monkey do" syndrome! No sooner a star campaigner of one party leaves a place, after belittling and degrading the other on all fronts; up surfaces the other star campaigner of another political party, in yet another place, to get back at his adversary with his brand of verbal tirade of all the wrongs, misdeeds, vices, and what nots, just to score a few political points. And this pattern went on throughout the campaigning phase, till the polling dates. With the last phase of polling slated later this week in the districts of lower Assam, the stronghold of vote bank politics, as well as the capital city of the state, all these jokers and their troupes are congregated there, biding their time, sharpening their 'tongues', plotting and planning and devising strategies to woo the voters with their tall manifestos and hollow promises!  

But this is of little consequence to the general populace of the region. What with only 24 MPs returning from the north east to the hallowed corridors of parliament, we are, for all practical purposes, clearly outnumbered. In the house of 545 vociferous, loud mouthed, desk thumping, obnoxious narrators, our poor reps are reduced to mere spectators, reclining in the back rows, to witness the ever changing drama that unfolds in parliament.

This region needs good, strong, assertive representation, but that is not forthcoming from the lot that we elect. So it is of no use crying foul at our state of affairs. It reminds me of a line
from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar - 'the fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings...' 

So, when all is said and done, the government formed, and the members take to parliament with renewed gusto, including the two dozen from the north east, what transpires in the days and years to come is anybody's guess.

All we can do as underlings, is hope for the best, for our country, and in particular the north eastern region as a whole!

When Self realisation speaks!

The north east and Assam in particular, of late, has been experiencing protests over the creation of separate states. Not that this sort of protests and agitation is anything new to Assam, because the state as a whole, has been there and witnessed that, in the 80's, during the famous "Assam Agitation". What is rather frustrating now, is that these protests and agitations are not a mass movement, but rather localised to certain pockets. 

To understand this better the following facts should help.

After India gained independence in 1947, the north east comprised of only three states, namely, Manipur and Tripura, which were princely states and a larger Assam, which was till independence, under the British rule. The years that followed after independence, saw the reorganisation of four new states carved out of the original territory of Assam. This was in line with the Indian governments' policy of creating newer states along ethnic and linguistic lines. Thus, Nagaland gained statehood in 1963, followed by Meghalaya in 1972 and Mizoram a Union Territory in the same year. Finally in 1987, both Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh gained statehood. A closer look at these stats, shows the northeastern region, barring Assam, to be a very young region, still coming to grips with governance and self-preservation. But not Assam.

While the six other states are more or less homogeneous in their ethnicity, the same cannot be said about Assam. Right across its length and breadth, this state is a myriad of cross cultural, ethnic and linguistic inhabitants. From the Ahoms, Adivasis, Bodos, Chutias, Morans and Muttocks to the Koch-Rajbonshis, each of these ethnic groups are striving to have their voices of heard through whatever means available. This is the crux of the matter, which is unique to the state of Assam.

The situation becomes even more acute when, in the name of a separate identity, these ethnic groups resort to protests and agitations that almost holds the rest of the state to ransom. This is typical to the Koch-Rajbonshis and the Bodos. Concentrated only in areas that fall in the entry point to Assam and the north east as a whole, the agitations carried on by these groups disrupts the normal rail and road communications. The modus operandi? Thousands of agitators congregating and squatting on the rail tracks or blocking highways, completely throwing rail and road communications out of gear! These protests are not short, impromptu bursts of enthusiasm but rather well thought out programmes, running into hours. Little do these agitators realise the fall-out their protests would have, not only on their own everyday life but the region as a whole. To garner the support and sympathy across all strata of society, any mass movement must not alienate others who are not directly related to the struggle. But the opposite seems to be happening in the case of the Bodos and the Koch-Rajbonshis.  

This is not to suggest that, what these two ethnic groups are doing is wrong. On the contrary, they are absolutely within their constitutional rights to fight for their self-preservation and self-realisation. But not at the cost of putting a much larger populace in a mental frame of uncertainty and harassment. 

The leaders of these groups should go back to their drawing boards, re-think their strategies and come out with a workable and acceptable formula to achieve their ends. The present style of road and rail blockade is most undesirable!

Self realisation is not selfish or is it?