KNOW THE FACTS: THE SPECTRE OF LINGUISM IN ASSAM: The 1961 language trouble in Assam led to the strengthening of Hill State movement eventually leading to the creation of separate state of Meghalaya in 1972. The Assamese think tanks were concerned at the huge influx of Bangladeshi’s into the state. According to them, Islamabad encouraged East Pakistani’s to cross over to neighbouring country for geo-political intent mainly to create reli-demographic imbalance so as to have a hold in politics of India. They entered in lakhs and did menial works, mainly as agriculturist, and spread to the rural areas. Islamabad’s strategy to weaken the divisive Hindus somewhat succeeded at least in the Assam context. In fact Assam had three language riots since 1947 – one in the early fifties, another at the outset of sixties and the third in the beginning of seventies – and several skirmishes at regular intervals. As a result of the state government’s policy to impose Assamese language, there was a popular uprising in the predominantly Bengali-speaking undivided Cachar known as the Bhasha Andolon. The Bangla Bhasha Andolon led to Martyrdom of eleven Hindu protestors on 19th May (Unnishe May), 1961 – a scar the Bengali’s will never forget. Consequently Bengali was made the official language of Cachar (now Barak Valley). In Brahmaputra valley, a series of clashes, both in Upper and Lower Assam plunged the state into a major language holocaust.- fourth riot. The first convulsion coincided with 1951 Census, second with the passage of Assam Language Act and the third with the move of the Gauhati and Dibrugarh universities to impart instructions in Assamese language. A protracted movement in Barak Valley led to establishment of a Central University in Silchar (Barak Valley) in spite of tough opposition from Assamese people and government. The state government was so angry when New Delhi was convinced about the Barak Valley demand, that it sought a similar central university in Brahmaputra Valley (at Tezpur).The Assam government always opposed and played down the central university demand and once offered a campus of Gauhati University during the chief ministership of Hiteshwar Saikia. Barak Valley leader Santosh Mohan Dev supported the Offer for Gauhati University campus, a stand which he was forced to retract following vigorous opposition from the students’ community of which Barak Gana Parishad president Rati Ranjan Roy was an active participant having met Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and other central leaders. Coming back to the concern of the Assamese think-tanks over influx of Bangladeshi’s, they are now outraged, when they realized that strategically the immigrant Muslims considered it expedient to return Assamese as their mother-tongue during Census in Brahmaputra Valley and sided with the Assamese-speaking people in their crusade against the peaceful Bengali Hindus. Strategically, Assamese leaders opine that in Barak Valley the immigrants returned Bengali as their mother tongue during Census. Dr Robin Mitra, a senior doctor of OIL (Oil India Limited) was stoned to death by Assamese mob in front of police at Duliajan during Assamese-Bengali riots. There are several other instances. The Hindus gave their blood everywhere. Unlike the Brahmaputra Valley, people of Barak Valley have been relatively mature,calm and progressive. The Assam government occasionally tried to play communal cards by proxy. But the strategy to keep the Valley divided continue as tickets for seats in Assembly and Parliament, irrespective of parties, are given only to stooges who would speak more for Dispur and less for its people. The voting emotions are swayed by trends in the national scene and parties with regional headquarters in Dispur capitalises on it.The state government tried to keep the valley into it’s grip through these stooges and sabotaged attempts of rebellion through scientific repressions. It is time that the people realizes the blunders of the past and unite. Let us work together for realization of a separate state. Please join hands with Barak Gana Parishad (BGP). Please strengthen Separate Barakland movement.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 05:40:07 +0000
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