C'da, >*** IF, the "people" , not the select groups of bad people, don't care and employ B'deshis, it means >there IS a need for it and they don't care whether they wear scull-caps or lungis. Should they be excoriated for >that, calkled names, because certain elites or other such 'groups' do?
It is the common people (not select groups), and they are NOT bad or anything like that. It could be just that, when such work is required, the only people that are available are quite possibly Bangladeshis. And one can effectively argue - how does one go about identify such people (suspect of being illegal)? And it is good question, and a legitimate one. I think, just like here, some kind of national ID system can be implemented. Everyone carries one, and to acquire one, it would require certain documents be presented. It is easy to say, but I think, if there is will by both the Center & the State, and there is an inclination by the people to help solve the problem, it can be done. The question of identification comes with a lot of political baggage. And it is becoming next to impossible to decipher whether an obviously benign question as how to identify possible illegal B'deshis is presented as an impediment to the process or not. The bottom line is to first recognize there are illegal B'deshis in Assam. Second, to recognize that a solution needs to be arrived at, and soon. Third, to assure minorities in Assam, that this process is not against them (this is the hardest, I think). >*** That said, there have been a number of possible ways to stem the flow, control the numbers, yet prevent >them from growing permanent roots, acquiring land and slipping into the voter's lists, floating around for >decades. Are the powers that be unaware of them? Have the apparatus of state lifted a finger to do anything >about it? Have the journals aired them and encouraged a debate on them to not only inform the public >but to examine them for efficacy? Again, valid points. I am sure the powers that be are fully aware of them. The Center can be ignorant, and callous, but if a State government insists, without wavering, the Center will be galvanized into action. This is also where the youth come in to get the State take this problem seriously. (Isn't it how it is done?:-) As a side note : Isn't it very strange, that in the US, student politics basically ceased to exist (after Vietnam & Civic Rights issues). Today, US students seem so apolitical. And in countries like India, we see a intellectuals & journalists urging and expecting student groups to change national political behavior. All I see are student groups used as puppets and taking them away for the purpose they are in schools in the first place. I understand the dynamics, it's just sad! --Ram On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Chan Mahanta <[email protected]> wrote: > >But is the Assam youth concerned? Is he informed by the reality of the > >problem? Does he realize the gravity of the situation? Can he foresee who > >might preside over his destiny in the near future? Does he know who are > the > >kingmakers in his State? > > > *** What I am curious about is what has the establishment, those who are > the pillars of society, > the kingmakers, the journalists, were/are responsible for border > protection, immigration control etc., > BEFORE the problem became as pervasive as it has now ? They are the ones > that have > put in place the successive dysfunctional governments and have helped > perpetuate them. > > > *** IF, the "people" , not the select groups of bad people, don't care and > employ B'deshis, it means > there IS a need for it and they don't care whether they wear scull-caps or > lungis. Should they be excoriated for > that, calkled names, because certain elites or other such 'groups' do? > > Here I would like to point out how easily the tables could be turned on > such arguments. > > > *** That said, there have been a number of possible ways to stem the flow, > control the numbers, yet prevent > them from growing permanent roots, acquiring land and slipping into the > voter's lists, floating around for > decades. Are the powers that be unaware of them? Have the apparatus of > state lifted a finger to do anything > about it? Have the journals aired them and encouraged a debate on them to > not only inform the public > but to examine them for efficacy? > > And if the establishment does not care or are coerced into silence by their > partisan political needs and tactics, > then why blame the youth? > > > > > > > > > On Aug 20, 2010, at 12:56 PM, Ram Sarangapani wrote: > > > Bikash Sarmah has given a good synopsis of this problem. > > > > Quite often (and in this net too), a demand or a desire to solve the > illegal > > Bangladeshis problem in Assam is promptly cast as communal. > > This is unfortunate, Assamese Muslims or bonafide Bengali residents of > Assam > > are equally affected by this problem, and it is > > in the OVERALL interest of Assam & Assamese that this problem be solved, > and > > soon. > > > > While Delhi has the responsibility of controlling and manning the > > Indo-Bangladesh border, it is paramount to recognize that the state and > > her people also have an active role. > > > > There a so many groups in Assam that are willing to make a concession > here > > and a concession there for short term political or pecuniary gains. > > > > And then, there are the people - who are more than willing to employ > illegal > > Bangladeshi help at the drop of a hat as they are cheaper (and well, they > > are there). > > > > The problem has not just become huge, but has grown tentacles, and legs, > and > > has basically become monstrous. > > > > If I were a betting man, I would say that this problem will never be > solved > > - politics in Assam and Delhi will for ever reap the various benefits of > > keeping this issue alive. > > > > Its a darn shame! > > > > --Ram > > > > ps: Maybe netters will discuss this with some gravitas, instead of > attacking > > each other, putting down each other's personalities, backgrounds, > > and trying to show off they have all kinds of solutions up their sleeves > for > > all kinds of problems. :-) :-) > > > > ____________________ > > > > Is the Assam Youth Really Concerned? > > > > THE REALITY MIRROR > > > > By the Assam youth I do not mean the ‘never-aging’ student leader. I am > also > > not obviously talking of the Bangladeshi youth in Assam awaiting a > greater > > Bangladesh to happen, nor am I talking of the youth of the erstwhile East > > Bengal/ East Pakistan descent who may not find anything wrong with a > greater > > living space for Bangladeshi nationals. I mean those who are sons of the > > soil, who are 25 and below, those who were born when the so-called > historic > > Assam Accord was signed 25 years ago and those who were born thereafter > who > > are now mature enough to understand what is going on around them, if of > > course they are interested in the affairs of the beleaguered State of > Assam, > > the best living space for the swelling illegal Bangladeshi crowd out to > > reduce the indigenous people of the State into a persecuted minority in > > their very homeland. > > But is the Assam youth concerned? Is he informed by the reality of the > > problem? Does he realize the gravity of the situation? Can he foresee who > > might preside over his destiny in the near future? Does he know who are > the > > kingmakers in his State? Does he even have an inkling of the actual > design? > > Let us start with the design. The design is this: get Assam flooded by as > > many illegal Bangladeshis as possible so that their original living > space, > > Bangladesh, which faces an acute paucity of land and other resources to > > sustain the burgeoning population resulting from polygamy, is extended to > > include the resourceful Assam in a greater Islamic state of Bangladesh. > > (There is stress on the word ‘‘Islamic’’ because Bangladesh is an Islamic > > state, will remain so, given its highly Islamized society and despite an > > attempt at secularism by the present government of Sheikh Hasina, and > > therefore, a greater Bangladesh will patently be a Islamic state.) > > Let us call it the unfinished agenda of Partition, the agenda of making > > Assam a Bangladeshi-majority area with geo-strategic ramifications > typical > > of such a zone, given (1) the proximity with China with which Bangladesh > > presently shares a very good relationship, a relationship that is > becoming > > multidimensional by the day, ranging from the usual business ties to > > military aid to Bangladesh, and that will evolve by the day because China > is > > desperate to expand its sphere of influence and beat India thus, and (2) > the > > Bangladesh chapter of the Pakistan Army’s rogue spy agency, the > > Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), whose chief intent to be in that > country > > is to destabilize India’s Northeast and through the Northeast the rest of > > the country, and make its valuable jihadi contribution to the making of a > > greater Islamic state in this part of the world. Let the Assam youth be > > informed by these facts of life. > > This is no fiction. Does the youth know what Stratfor, a US news > > intelligence service and strategic think tank, said three years ago? In > > April 2007, it came up with a report on the infiltration of ISI > operatives > > into the strategically located India’s Northeast. In its report titled > > “India: Islamization of the Northeast”, Stratfor harped on the attempts > by > > the ISI in tandem with Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies to exploit the > > instabilities fuelled by the militant groups of the Northeast so that > India > > could be prevented from emerging as a key global player. The report said > > that the ISI and Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies were working > > clandestinely in Bangladesh to bring all the Northeast-based militant > > outfits and jihadi elements under one umbrella. “The ISI has facilitated > > cooperation between ULFA and other northeastern militant outfits with the > > Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, Islamist militant > > groups in Jammu & Kashmir, Islamist groups in Bangladesh and a growing > > number of Al Qaeda-linked jihadi groups operating in the region... ULFA’s > > growing links with Bangladeshi Islamists and jihadi elements in the area > are > > increasingly coming to light,” Stratfor revealed. The Sentinel (April 24, > > 2007) had carried the report as a front-page story. > > There have been reports of jihadi terror groups like the United Muslim > Front > > of Assam, Muslim Liberation Army of Assam, United Liberation Militia of > > Assam, Muslim Security Council of Assam and the Muslim United Liberation > > Front of Assam taking shelter in areas bordering Bangladesh and sar > > (riverine) areas. Who will these organizations, which are sprouting along > > with the unchecked flow of illegal Bangladeshis to the State, recruit as > > their most reliable and ruthless cadres? Why, is there any dearth of > hostile > > illegal Bangladeshis in Assam who are willing to be employed as members > of > > jihadi terror outfits and who have been told by their patrons that a > grand > > greater Bangladesh will soon be unveiled where they will be masters and > > where the Assamese people who employ them as labourers will be slaves and > > eventually stateless citizens or eliminated from their land of birth? > > Reality Number Two. The Congress, infamous for its shoddy politics of > > ‘minoritism’ to remain in power even at the cost of national security, is > > the chief culprit. It is the Congress that in 1983 effected the blatantly > > pro-Bangladeshi IM(DT) Act as an immigration law meant solely for Assam. > > Thanks to the country’s oldest political outfit, India then became the > only > > country in the world with two immigration laws — the IM(DT) Act, 1983 > meant > > only for Assam and the Foreigners Act, 1946 for the rest of the country. > The > > Congress’ immigration innovation for Assam was abrogated by the Supreme > > Court in 2005 for it being unconstitutional. Mind it, the Congress, in > its > > bid to consolidate the illegal Bangladeshi constituency in Assam, had no > > qualms at all about subjecting the State to an unconstitutional > immigration > > law! That immigration law was one of the gravest of threats to our > national > > security, and yet the Congress was absolutely unconcerned. Under the > IM(DT) > > Act, the onus of proof of nationality lay with the complainant, and not > with > > the accused as in the Foreigners Act and as in all other immigration laws > of > > the world. > > The Assam youth must be informed by the fact that the now-scrapped IM(DT) > > Act was a calculated move by the Congress to make it virtually impossible > > for illegal Bangladeshis settled in Assam to be deported to their native > > land, so that they would remain in Assam and vote for the ‘secular’ > Congress > > eternally as ‘Indian minorities’ as a mark of gratitude to their messiah. > > That immigration monstrosity was perpetrated on Assam’s demography for 22 > > years. Result? Today there are at least six districts in the State — > Nagaon, > > Barpeta, Dhubri, Hailakandi, Karimganj and Goalpara — that are > > Muslim-majority. The Assam youth must also be introduced to the fact that > > the indigenous Muslims of Assam, or Assamese Muslims as they are called, > are > > not in any way part of this Islamization project and sheer violence on > > Assam’s demography. A highly enlightened and liberal community, the > Assamese > > Muslims consider themselves Assamese first. They are as endangered by the > > Bangladesh-ization of Assam as any other son of the soil is. > > And the mother of all realities. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders who > > had signed the Assam Accord that put an end to the six-year-long > > anti-Bangladeshi Assam Agitation (1979-85) had accepted the IM(DT) Act at > > the time of signing the Accord despite being fully aware of the fact that > > the Act was scripted only to undo what the Accord would attempt: > detection > > and deportation of illegal Bangladeshis merrily settled and safeguarded > in > > Assam to Bangladesh! Or were the young AGP leaders immature at that point > of > > time and so were unable to see through the agenda? If that was so, why > did > > they float a political party? Solely to be able to call the shots from > > Dispur and flourish thus? > > It is high time the Assam youth took interest in the affairs of the State > in > > relation to the irreversible process of its Bangladesh-ization after > being > > informed by the facts of life outside the perverse domain of > > pseudo-secularism. They face a grave threat to their very existence in a > > land where illegal Bangladeshis are ‘‘already kingmakers’’ as the Gauhati > > High Court rightly observed in 2008. Arise, awake! > > And yes, our esteemed pseudo-secularists will ask the Assam youth to > rubbish > > whatever has been said as ‘paranoia’ and a ‘communal’ mindset at work. Be > > careful. > > Bikash Sarmah > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
