In a piece published in Northeast Now on September 14, I wrote how other parties of the Northeast are allying with the BJP at the Centre for the interests of their states and how the leaders in the ruling party in Assam are toeing the line of the Central leadership on everything unquestioningly only for their personal aggrandizements and benefits.
Also read: Politics of compromise & Assam’s political leaders
My assertion was poignantly proved correct when the other day Ram Madhab, one of the national secretaries of the BJP made it public that the new CAB would exclude the other northeastern states from its purview except Assam.
This means the Hindus left out from the NRC will not be allowed to settle in other north-eastern states except Assam.
BJP didn’t dare to bring the tribal states of the northeast under the purview of the CAB because the leaders of the respective states vociferously protested against this in the presence of the home minister, Amit Shah in the NEDA conclave, whereas our nincompoop leaders didn’t utter a single word against the CAB in it.
So if you have the courage to bare your teeth for your own interests your adversaries will back out and if they find you too timid they will pounce on you and grab everything.
That is what is happening to Assam now in the hands of these leaders.
They are not only spineless but also shameless self seekers.
This chief minister once headed the ASSU.
Most of his ministerial colleagues have also come from the so called nationalistic stream of politics.
But, today just to remain in power they have forgotten everything and toeing the line of the central BJP leadership on everything.
What a shamelessness!
There is a second example to it.
When the Congress was in power, the BJP demonstrated and protested against the construction of big dam around Assam Arunachal boarders.
And now, when the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh scrapped the construction of a number of dams in Arunachal Pradesh, the Assam chief minister and his cabinet colleagues are notoriously silent on it.
They know how the big dam in lower Subansiri will affect the eco-system of the river downstream and the livelihood of the people.
But they don’t have the guts to object to it as their masters in Delhi want to build it.
But it is not only the state leadership of the BJP, others are also equally responsible for allowing the BJP to take the people of Assam for granted for everything.
Here, we can take a leaf from the fighting spirits of our eastern neighbour, Nagas.
Everybody pooh poohed the recent Naga accord with the government of India as the deal was not made public, however, the Nagas remained tight lipped about its content.
But the moment the Government of India expressed its inability to concede to certain demands, the Naga leadership reacted against it sharply.
Just see what NSCN (I-M) general secretary Th Muivah said about the Naga Peace Accord: “Sovereignty of the Naga people cannot be questioned as far as peace talks are concerned and the demand for Naga flag and constitution cannot be denied.”
Again he said: “And so our history is unique. Therefore, solution must also be unique. When we say this, they say you are too tough. I am not tough. Nagas are not lost people. We have our history. They have come to realize that. Not only that since Nagas were not under Indians nor under anyone. See with what firmness and conformity Nagas are negotiating with the Central Government.
They are demanding extra constitutional things from the Government of India.
We are not demanding anything like that.
What we are asking for is simple.
We are opposing CAB because it is a threat to our linguistic identity.
We are opposing big dam because it is a threat to our environment and livelihood.
In our demands there is no trace of secessionism or extra constitutionalism.
But the Central Government is least bothered.
They know that Assam Government will never go against any decisions of the Central Government and all other organizations in Assam are only paper tigers.
Like the State Government they can also be easily contained.
They have realized this.
There was no real steam in the anti-CAB movement launched before the last general elections.
The results of the elections abundantly proved that.
Have we seen any real move against the would be CAB and the big dams in Assam now?
Forget about others, what the AASU and KMSS have been doing?
Are they really fighting against the anti- Assam and anti- Assamese measures of the Central Government?
Have they gone to people at the grassroots and explained, educated and organized them?
No, we haven’t seen any such move by any organization.
Even civil society organizations are also not organized properly.
And their call is also limited.
In Assam, media is still not completely bought up by the ruling party.
So they are playing a reasonably commendable role.
Like the large section of the so-called lapdog national media they haven’t yet blacked out the news of protests and decent in Assam.
But, we should understand that nothing can be sustained in the long run by the supportive regional media.
And we don’t know how long they will remain supportive.
So who will lead the protest?
Will the people be their own leaders?
Or will they also be gullible?