The Sentinel blaming ULFA for the change in demography is the same
kind of logic as ULFA blaming RSS and APW for bringing bombs and
violence to Assam as alleged in a recent publication. Both show
outstanding deductive reasoning!
Independent of who the players are, the process of this blame game
is mind boggling.
=================================================================
I know I am not the most sympathetic of Sentinel editorial pieces.
But that is easily understood by our friends, since I am avowedly
biased, against that is, what the Sentinel usually spouts , be it
openly or be it in the guise of analyses.
But this piece, I must say is OUTSTANDING!
It is not hard to understand why. But still, at the risk of
attempting to point out the obvious , I seek my fellow netters'
indulgence in underscoring them:
>Do the formation of the United Liberation Front of
>Asom (ULFA) and its leaders taking shelter in Bangladesh have
>anything to do with the present demographic trend in Asom?
> Circles concerned in the State think that after the emergence
of the ULFA, there has been a large-scale infiltration from
>Bangladesh to Asom.
( As is obvious from the statistics cited)
>If the ULFA is a gainer of sorts by having to get a safe
sanctuary in Bangladesh, the illegal Bangladeshis in Asom are
also an
equal gainer - thanks, of course, to the ULFA's silence on these
illegal lot, and thus its silence on the process of reverse
>demography in the State.
>It may be mentioned here that The Sentinel published a report
recently quoting intelligence reports that over 20 jehadi groups have
tied up with the ULFA so as to carry out subversive activities in the
>State.
> Repeated attacks on Hindi-speaking people, who
>comprise a large part of the labour force in the State, are an
>attempt to create job avenues for illegal Bangladeshis.
**** Now, putting two and two together ( the unimpeachable
evidence above that is ),can anyone ( I mean other than the die-
hard anti-Indian ) in his right mind NOT conclude that:
Circles concerned in the State feel that the ULFA's goal
of an "independent Asom" has virtually turned into a goal for a
"greater Bangladesh" comprising Asom as the most cherished
territory ?
**** Rarely have I seen such clarity and incisiveness in sorting
out complex statistics and secretive intelligence reports in
presenting to the fair-and-balanced and patriotic Indian readers,
in simple prose, the unadulterated but disgusting truths about
ULFA and its nefarious designs.
Where is the ULFA, that Assam once put together and sent out, with
'gamosaar tongaali', to give war on the 'lungi menace' and rid
Assam of the 'adha-kota' plague? Where is the ULFA that the likes
of the Sentinel egged on to go die for preserving Assam for the
Bamuns' and Kayosthos' peace of mind?
Where is the ULFA that the Assam establishment sponsored, armed,
sheltered and trained for border protection, which the BSF and the
Indian Owners of Assam cannot or would not?
What a tragic turn of events! What khai-paat-fola ( ingrates)
these ULFAs are!
**** Now my friends you know WHY even *I * consider this
editorial OUTSTANDING, which you the
rest, must already have known, even before Jyoti brought it to light.
Yours not-so-truly,
cm
At 12:54 PM +0800 6/19/07, Jyotirmoy Sharma wrote:
From the Sentinel
Whom should we blame it on?
Thanks to illegal immigration from Bangladesh, the demographic
profile of Asom has been reversed.
By a Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, June 18: Do the formation of the United Liberation Front of
Asom (ULFA) and its leaders taking shelter in Bangladesh have
anything to do with the present demographic trend in Asom? Though
these two are seemingly different issues, yet the religion-wise
population figures of census reports compel one to look at the
current demographic pattern of the State from that angle too.
The ULFA was formed on April 7, 1979 with the demand for a "sovereign
Asom", and ULFA leaders took shelter in Bangladesh in 1989. Census
reports reveal that Muslim population in the State - thanks to
illegal immigration from Bangladesh - started to rise steeply since
the ULFA was formed and its leaders took shelter in Bangladesh.
According to sources, an ULFA cadre first went to Bangladesh in 1989
and met a minister belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP), and that meeting paved the way for ULFA cadres getting arms
training under the ISI in Peshawar in Pakistan, in 1990-91. Of
course, the first batch of 40 ULFA cadres, including 'commander-in-
chief' Paresh Baruah, got arms training under the NSCN at its camps
in Myanmar in 1983. The second batch of 90 ULFA cadres, including
Arabinda Rajkhowa and Kalpajyoti Neog, got arms training under the
NSCN at Kachin in Myanmar, in 1986.
The census figures, on the other hand, say that Hindu population of
Goalpara district in 1971 was 50.11 per cent against 41.50 per cent
Muslim population, but after 20 years - in 1991 - Hindu population in
the district fell abruptly to 39.89 per cent, while Muslim population
rose steeply to 50.18 per cent. In Dhubri district, Hindu population
in 1971 was 38.80 per cent against 60.46 per cent Muslim population,
but in 1991, Hindu population declined to 28.73 per cent while the
Muslim population rose to 70.45 per cent. In Barpeta district, Hindu
population in 1971 was 51.12 per cent against 48.65 Muslim
population, but 20 years later, Muslim population rose to 56.07 per
cent leaving the Hindu population behind at 40.26 per cent. In
Hailakandi district, Hindu population in 1971 was 47.48 per cent
against 51.40 per cent Muslim population, but 20 years later, while
Hindu population fell to 43.71 per cent, Muslim population rose to
54.79 per cent. In most of the other districts, Hindu population
registered a slight fall, while Muslim population registered a rise.
As per the 2001 Census report, the overall Hindu population in the
State was 64.9 per cent against 67.1 per cent in 1991, while for
Muslim population the figures for the corresponding years stood at
30.9 per cent and 28.4 per cent.
It may be mentioned here that The Sentinel published a report
recently quoting intelligence reports that over 20 jehadi groups have
tied up with the ULFA so as to carry out subversive activities in the
State. Circles concerned in the State think that after the emergence
of the ULFA, there has been a large-scale infiltration from
Bangladesh to Asom. Repeated attacks on Hindi-speaking people, who
comprise a large part of the labour force in the State, are an
attempt to create job avenues for illegal Bangladeshis. Now the
demographic trend in some lower Asom districts has reached such a
pretty pass that an AUDF MLA even went to the extent of raising the
demand for an "autonomous council" for the "minorities" of those
districts. Circles concerned in the State feel that the ULFA's goal
of an "independent Asom" has virtually turned into a goal for a
"greater Bangladesh" comprising Asom as the most cherished territory.
On the other hand, the BSF has also failed to check infiltration from
Bangladesh as also other illegal cross-border activities, thanks to
the porous border that is yet to completely fenced. Had the
Government of India been awake to the urgent need for completely
sealing the Indo-Bangladesh border, with the same promptness as shown
in respect of Jammu & Kashmir or Punjab in relation to the border
with Pakistan, one could have hoped for a bit of action on the ground
against illegal immigration from Bangladesh. But that is yet to
happen. If the ULFA is a gainer of sorts by having to get a safe
sanctuary in Bangladesh, the illegal Bangladeshis in Asom are also an
equal gainer - thanks, of course, to the ULFA's silence on these
illegal lot, and thus its silence on the process of reverse
demography in the State.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
[email protected]
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
