Asom Adivasis, beware of Jharkhand leaders!
In the struggle of the Adivasis of Asom for ST rights, did the Jharkhand
leaders ever raise the issue with the Centre or come to Asom to show solidarity
with the Adivasi cause? Did they ever talk to the Centre about the problems
faced by the Adivasis of Asom? Even yesterday when some of the Jharkhand
leaders met the Prime Minister, they raised the issue of mining in their own
State without saying a word on the Asom situation in relation to the Adivasis
here. So why are the Jharkhand leaders landing up in Asom now? Either to make
political gains for themselves or to distance the Adivasis from the greater
Asomiya society, of which the Adivasis are a part. Such leaders should mind
their own business and desist from aggravating the situation here. They should
also remember that the Adivasis of Asom have not invited them to the State. And
on no occasion in the past did the Asom Adivasis ever seek support from the
Jharkhand leaders, whether in the matter of bonus or healthcare
problems or any other issue in the tea gardens. Therefore, at the moment, the
Jharkhand leaders should not be welcomed here. (See Editorial 1)
No More Divide Please (Sentinel Assam)
In the wake of the retaliatory attack on Adivasi protesters by an enraged
Beltola mob last Saturday in Guwahati, some Adivasi political heavyweights from
Jharkhand landed up in the city to show solidarity with the affected community.
While we have already condemned the violence unleashed in the streets of
Beltola last weekend and weighed the pros and cons of the ugly mob mayhem, we
in equally strong terms decry the attempt by forces from outside the State to
wedge further and deeper divides in the greater Asomiya society. First thing
first. Leaders like Sibu Soren, Arjun Munda or Babulal Marandi who came all the
way from Jharkhand to Asom to advocate the Adivasi cause in the State, are not
aware of the meaning and implications of the greater Asomiya society a
mosaic of diverse ethnic groups and migrant communities, except for the illegal
Bangladeshis. These Jharkhand leaders do not know of the thread that binds the
greater Asomiya society into one harmonious unit. And
the wounded Adivasis who the Jharkhand leaders have visited in Asom to remind
them of their roots and thus sympathize with their cause, are essentially a
component of the greater Asomiya society. The Jharkhand leaders are perhaps not
introduced to the age of assimilation that started way back in British India
when the Adivasis were brought to Asom from the mainland by the British to work
as labourers, especially in the tea gardens of the region, and when they
gradually got assimilated in the Asomiya society to form a composite
demographic mix sustaining on the basis of trust and goodwill towards each
other. An isolated incident as Beltolas cannot be allowed to destabilize the
greater Asomiya society; it cannot be allowed to create, promote and deepen new
divides. However, the rush of leaders from outside the State as though to
provide a soothing balm to the Adivasis affected by last weeks Beltola
violence, would rather dilute the age-old coexistence of the Adivasis
and the rest of their brethren in the State. And by Adivasis in this
column, we obviously mean the Adivasis who have already become Asomiya in every
sense of the term. This, the Jharkhand leaders ought to realize as and when
they appeal to their brethren in Asom.
It is an Asomiya problem then the Beltola incident and the chain of events
triggered by it. Therefore, the Jharkhand leaders have no business in Asom to
show anyone the way, for it is the greater Asomiya society and its
characteristics that will counter the problem plaguing it and work out a
solution of the problem in its own right. Since, as we have already said, the
Adivasis are essentially a part of the greater Asomiya framework, the need of
the hour is a concerted endeavour to regain the lost space of trust and
goodwill, and ultimately of peace and progress. And yet, if any politicians are
out to exploit the situation and draw mileage out of the hurt feelings,
distrust and animosity among the communities of the State, they will never be
welcomed in our midst. This is the message that The Sentinel would send across
to the Jharkhand leaders visiting Asom and trying to be one with the Adivasis
of the State. Where were these leaders when the Asomiya Adivasis had faced
other problems in the past? Let it be said here that it is the dynamics of the
greater Asomiya society that will, in due course, be the best leveller and
healer of all wounds. But no more divide please, and no more lecture from
outside the State too.
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