Life, Liberty & Lebensraum Assam....

Finally I have got the space and time needed to write again; the frequency of my posts is dwindling by the passing moment and even if I face a barrage of thoughts at times, I find myself with inadequate time, energy and concentration required to pen them down. Well, today I have thankfully and the best I could think off was the ongoing Assam conflict. I had spoken of the demographic invasion once before on the blog (Demo-Demographics) and while the underlying theme is the same, there are some additions and alternate angles which need to be highlighted in the light of what is being telecast on our news channels. It is important that a few facts be brought to light if not known or be focused upon - whichever is applicable.


Before we get down to what is going on, let us first discover as to what has happened in the past. We are aware that a huge influx of the-then East Pakistanis before and during the 1971 war had resulted into tremendous stress on our nation's reserves and capacities. It did to a certain extent contribute to the war with Pakistan. The warm-hearted people that we are, we allowed them to stay here post-war and lead a "peaceful life" - something that many foreigners have misused till date and yet we refuse change. The great issue is that the centre has always taken the real citizens for granted. It sometimes makes me wonder whether is it the virus of MK Gandhi that has made our politicians so weak that it can't stand up for the liberty of its own people and infact protect and harness the very forces which destroy them. The refugees from Bangladesh slowly started growing in number not just biologically through the first generation refugees but also through cross border influx given the better living conditions on this side of the Indo-Bangladeshi border and the suicidal warmth extended towards them by the centre for its own political mileage. To legalize the so-called citizenship of the Bangladeshis, Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act (IMDT) was enacted in 1983 by Indira Gandhi. The most important clause was that the onus of proving citizenship was not on the migrant, but on the accuser (which by all means would be a local or a NGO or a citizen affected by the migrants) It made deporting for post-war refugees next to impossible and marked a Lakshmana Rekha around those who had migrated before. Though it has now been repealed (i.e. 2005), the damage has already been done. Bangladeshi settlers have grown exponentially over the past 40 years.

I happened to find a paper submitted by the Governor of Assam in November 1998 to the President of India titled Illegal Immigration into Assam. It carries tremendous knowledge and answers a whole host of asked and unasked questions. Just putting that into a nutshell, (though reading it cover to cover from the hyper-link would give the reader a much better insight) the paper focuses on the causes of the same coupled with the growing danger it results into. It presents vital statistics of how the Bangladeshi Muslim population has grown at a staggering 77% from 1971 to 91. (corresponding India figures are at 55%) This is 20 years back - we are bound to be in a much worse state today. The most important point highlighted by the Governor is captured into a single word - 'Lebensraum' ; It might ring a few bells if the reader has read Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf' where the German Fuhrer has stressed a lot on this word which literally translates in Deutsche as 'Living Space'. The Governor has explained how the conditions in Bangladesh are not fit for living. He extends his argument of influx backing it up with facts like frequent displacing of Bangladeshis annually because of recurrent floods given the water body structure of the nation; he also mentions how the current infrastructure and 'Lebensraum' is insufficient and the mass exodus is inevitable; It should be noted that the exodus is inevitable, not the influx - we can still control or restrict that! He has also mentioned a few measures like border fencing, policing and identification which can be taken up; though the most important is the intent to protect our own people which is absent - the executives act paralyzed !

Given this background, it can be understood why the conflicts occur. Bodos have been affected to a great extent by this influx of Bangladeshi Muslims. We can imagine how it is to be turned into a minority as economic means are captured by the illegal immigrants. Slowly, the political vote bank too has grown giving high power into the hands of these immigrants. The shift in power base has enabled the illegal migrants to dictate terms in Assam - we indirectly have a foreign rule in Assam while our own countrymen, the Bodos suffer this huge betrayal of trust. This is our country and no countrymen deserves to be treated in such a way on our own lands. Then the media asks why the Bodos are such a short fuse lot?!! What would one do - become the inherently weak MK Gandhi and let enemies crush and destroy the very existence of one's own countrymen for the sake of an over inflated ego fueled by some misplaced sense of righteousness? I don't think so ! What the Bodos are doing is called self defense ! Yes, Baapu - that is self defense, not violence !! The All Bodo Students' Union President Pramod Boro explains the situation he and his fellow community are facing. In a recent article in First Post, he comments how his community wants peace but if their rights and liberty can't be protected by the very government whose duty it is to protect then they have to wage a war for their own survival.

After knowing all this, let us turn our attention to the situation in other metros, predominantly Mumbai. There has been large scale rioting and we all recollect the attack on the sacred Amar Jawan Memorial at Azad Maidan. In other cities as well including Pune and Bangalore, there have been attacks on the students and working professionals from the North Eastern States. (both have a decent population of North Eastern states' students and working professionals) The images I came across pained me a lot - their faces showed deep concern. (panic and fear too on most) Why should my countrymen feel foreigners in their own nation while the illegal migrants roam around, bully around without a care? The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) was seen at the Bangalore station with lathis to protect our countrymen and I salute them for this. It is one of the very few, if not the only organization to work towards nationalistic goals with sincere dedication. After all this, the government comes up with "Committed to deporting illegal migrants, but only lawfully" !! There can be no law for the lawless; there is no sense of "fair play" once it becomes a matter of the nation's security. The INC has an inherent weakness - absolutely despicable !

To finish it off the blog and leave the readers to ponder over my findings and introspect, I end with a few direct statements. I won't mince words nor pretend to play the appeasement card. Secularism is being misunderstood. It is at a rapid pace becoming the grave question of the existence of Bhaarat! The problem is that religion is regarded superior to the nation and thus the root disease for the well-being of any nation. Nothing - no religion, no individual, no idea, no belief nor any faith or creed can ever be (or will ever be) greater than the nation. It was MK Gandhi's ego (the ego of being someone superior to Bhaarat) which led to the partition of Hindusthaan and many subsequent ills to which he sowed the seeds. No other ego nor anything else will do that again. Though my brothers and sisters tried hard at that time to convince Gandhi, it fell on deaf ears; the sacrifice of my countrymen won't go to waste nor will their appeal this time. Tolerant does not mean we will suffer in silence; if the rioters are so concerned about the well being of the illegal immigrants, they might as well leave this country of mine but they will not harm it. Limited as what I can physically do at this point of time, my prayers go out to all my brothers and sisters across the nation who are being targeted; who are being attacked for absolutely no fault of theirs and especially to my Bodo brethren; and not just my prayers, but I send to them across this space-time continuum all my spiritual strength and an unflinching faith in the future of this nation along with the conviction in justice, liberty and self-defense. My thoughts travel and may they give you the strength which they have given me; I hope they are equipped for this war because our Government is too busy protecting our own enemies. Truth will prevail, it is a matter of persistence. We love peace, yes; but we will fight to guarantee peace if need be. For too long has MK Gandhi's weak and selfish ideologies corrupted the thoughts of this nation; for too long have we sung praises of MK Gandhi and J. Nehru alone; (the two men who contributed the least yet usurped the most from the true freedom fighters) For too long has credit not been given where it is due - my efforts will go on inspired by my "real" freedom fighters ! With their thoughts and dreams giving me strength, I walk on! Oh yes, and if someone were to accuse me of 'inciting violence', may it be noted that I am encouraging self-defense! Fight hard my brothers from the North East, fight till the enemy tires out! I am aware it needs a lot of strength and persistence, may God bless you with it. To all others, let us promise to ourselves to help any of our fellow countrymen were they to be attacked in our presence or need any assistance from us.

To each and every soul out there,

Keep Fighting....
Live Free....

Jai Hind!