The Healing Wounds of Migration in Assam
13 Mar, 2002 · 714
Bibhu Prasad Routray analyses the turnabout made by organizations like the ASS and ULFA regarding migrants and illegal migration in Assam
The
Assam
movement that continued for over six years had centred on the unabated migration from
Bangladesh
, which threatened the identity of the Assamese people. So intense was the popular sentiment against being swamped by waves of migration that it proved virtually a force multiplier for the Assam Gana Parishad (AGP), which came to power after the Assam Accord was signed in 1985, and the insurgent outfit, United Liberation front of Asom (ULFA), which came to enjoy mass support.
Assam
for two five year terms failed to repeal the act. The BJP, too, indulged in some tough talking but has done little else.
Assam
agitation was intense, issued a pro-immigrant statement in its special annual session on 11 February 2002 . The ASS President Homen Borgohain declared that the Assamese Muslims of East Bengal origin are an integral part of greater Assamese society. Noting that ‘immigrants’ constitute a fourth of
Assam
’s total population, the Sabha president urged for reconciliation between the various communities in the State. The Sabha, in fact, had organised its meet at Kalgasia, an immigrant dominated area in Barpeta district. However, the actual statement went beyond all expectations.
Assam
their home. “By the concept of greater Assamese we should not mean that all the indigenous and the new ethnic immigrants should give up their language and become fully Assamese speaking people. Those who speak their own languages in their homes, but work for Assamese literature and show interest in Assamese language and literature should be accepted as Assamese people.” This viewpoint met with no opposition from civil society, which is perceived as being sensitive to the migration issue.
Bangladesh
. The Sabha had no such compulsions.
For quite some time bodies favouring a stringent anti-immigration law hogged the limelight. The political parties like the AGP and the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), influential students’ organisations like the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) appeared to speak for the majority of the people as they asked for repeal of the Illegal Migration (Determination by Tribunals) Act. The IMDT act has been an ineffective instrument for the determination and deportation of foreigners. It is a different matter that, rhetoric apart, the AGP which ruled
In a fervent appeal to the President of India in a report submitted in 1998, the Governor of Assam General SK Sinha had cautioned, “Unchecked influx of Bangladeshi infiltrators may lead to the severing of the entire land mass of the North-East from the rest of the country, and the perceptible changes in Assam's demography might spur Islamic fundamentalists to work toward their cherished design for a greater Bangladesh.” However, it appears the thinking now has undergone a major transformation. The AGP is out of power. The ULFA has stopped complaining about the Bangladeshis, due to compulsions of finding a safe haven in that country. Even civil society groups appear to have accepted the existing reality and are opting for accommodation.
In a significant development, the Assam Sahitya Sabha (ASS), the premier literary organisation in the State, whose participation in the
Borgohain’s definition of a ‘good Assamese’ now carefully accommodates the immigrants alongwith other ethnic groups who have made
This signifies a major reorientation in popular sentiment. The ULFA, after Operation Rhino and Operation Bajrang, had issued statements appreciating the contribution of the immigrants to Assamese society. However, this only reflected its dependence on the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in
It might be simplistic to characterise these developments as the beginning of a process of accommodation in the State. However, articulation of such views will have a healing effect, and can be seen as a move towards unity among the different tribes in the State. As the State battles against the scourge of terrorism that fails to distinguish between the innocent and guilty, unity among its diverse population becomes an urgent necessity. While one appreciates the dangers of uninhibited migration, the State can ill afford to compel one fourth of its migrant population to isolation. The Sabha has done well to take the first step towards assimilation.
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