--classstrugggle-flipmag CS Sep-2018 MKP | Page 22

Scrap N R C! - Aloke Mukherjee Now after the National Registration of Citizenship (NRC) for Assam has primarily been published and more than 40 lakh of people are found to be not registered, voices are being raised by all opposing the sinister aim with which it has been used by the rulers at the centre as well as at Assam level . It is clear that 40 lakh of Indian people have been declared ‘stateless’, although those at the helm of the power are adding insult to injury of those people by giving them another ‘chance’ through further application or objection. Who are these 40 lakh people? Mostly Bengalis; then Jharkandis, Biharis, Nepalis and others. Of the 40 lakh more than 80 per cent are Muslims. The whole thing has not happened suddenly which the opposition politicians and even a large number of politicians of revolutionary variety are trying to make the people of India outside Assam believe. The source of it could be found in 1983 Assam movement when a chauvinistic section of Assamese led by Assam Ganatantra Parishad (AGP) and Pranta Parishad (PP) started arming themselves against “foreigners” and/or “outsiders”. At first it was a movement against the central government to force ‘foreigners/ outsiders’ out of Assam. Then they started attacks on non-Assamese people. In September 1983, India witnessed the worst ever massacre of minorities, even the killing of Naokhali or the Punjab cannot be compared with it, where nearly 3000 people of linguistic and religious minority were killed on a single day in two adjacent villages of Nellie. The state authorities 22 even though knew that such a satanic act was going to be performed remained silent and blind observers. But that did not satisfy the chauvinists. Murder, arson, terrorization went on. Both the Congress and BJP fomented the chauvinistic acts for their own gains. To carry on these indiscriminate killings ULFA were formed. These killers would not leave even any democratic voice from within the Assamese. Saurabh Bora, a student leader, was killed at the campus of the Dibrugarh University since he opposed the chauvinistic movement. There were dozens of killings. What actually could mobilize the youth in Assam? The problem was that Assam being a cauldron of various nationalities and tribes, having separate language and religions, was kept under- developed by the centre. The educated youth of Assamese origin had to face unemployment. Moreover, agriculture in the valley of Brahmaputra was not developed by the Assamese. During the British rule, the rulers brought large number of Muslim peasants from the then Bangal (Mymemsingh of present Bangladesh) to till the land of Brahmaputra valley which was a forest laden swampy area. These peasants were experts in tilling water-logged areas. Within 50 years the area became the granary of Assam. So when unemployment grew up in a critical scale the children of Assamese origin found that they could not fall upon the agriculture either. So the educated youth wanted hegemony in all employments of the state. At the same time, due the crunch of capital, bourgeoisie of Assamese origin could not grow even. Most of the tea garden owners were either foreigners (British) or from outside Assam. So only a small petti bourgeoisie could develop, who could thrive upon government contracts and large scale plunder of state exchequer. Mainly these people utilized youth to foment the Assam agitation. They were instigated by both Congress and BJP. Accordingly their demands differed. Those instigated by the Congress demanded expulsion of “outsiders” mainly Bengali Hindus and Nepalese who at that time were tilting towards left parties of both varieties –parliamentary and revolutionary. Those instigated by BJP demanded expulsion of “foreigners” –mainly Bengali Muslims – to start a Hindu Muslim divide. Once the Frankenstein was erupted, it became almost impossible to stop it. Months after months killing, arson and plunder went on. Within this period, the death of Indira Gandhi loosened the grip of Congress on the agitation. So government of Rajiv Gandhi signed “Assam Accord” with the leaders of Assam mov