Character of Assam agitation movement gradually undergoes change

As the Assam agitation, the long-running saga of the north-east, lumbers on into its third year without ever getting any closer to a solution, the character of the movement is gradually undergoing a change. The moderates among the leader of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), themselves worn down by the endless rounds of talks in Delhi, are finding it increasingly difficult to whip the mass support that they once could. And confronted by the failure of their tactics they are also finding that the initiative is being snatched from them by more extreme elements who advocate insurgency operations.Last fortnight's bandhs, which were accompanied by sporadic acts of violence, are seen by officials in Gauhati as confirmation of their belief that the time is not far away when hardliners amongst the movement's leaders will establish links with rebels in adjoining states. Already the extremists are said to have held a series of secret meetings in Gauhati, Aizawl and Imphal with their counterparts in Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura.More ominously, intelligence sources report that AAGSP and AASU factions led by Atul Bora and Bharat Narah met leaders of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) in Manipur and the Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS). The aim of the meetings is said to have been to discover ways of organising acts of sabotage and other guerrilla activities in the Assam plains. The two-fold aim of these would be to spread terror among the people and keep the Government busy.Hamstrung: Senior police officials in Gauhati are, however, still confident that even now these moves can be nipped in the bud if the Centre decides to take firm action. They say, however, that they are hamstrung by the fact that many of the extremists are members of the delegations holding talks in Delhi. In fact, many officials here believe that these elements are purposely prolonging the talks while they build up the network necessary for underground operations.This may or may not be altogether true but it is certainly true that the Government's war of attrition is beginning to tell. The mass base, which the movement so successfully mobilised, is slipping away. The sight of vast numbers of people, including women, gathering for rallies is no longer common. During the recent 36-hour bandh, nearly 80 per cent of the secretariat employees in Dispur attended office, something which would have been unthinkable one year ago.Assamese demonstrators: Lesser enthusiasmAnd it was not just fear of the Essential Services Maintenance Act that kept them in office. In the past they have ignored such laws with a devil-may-care abandon as they genuinely believed that the 'foreigners' would really be forced to leave if they agitated. But today after three years their faith seems to have been shaken considerably. And surprisingly most of the traders who kept their shops closed during the recent bandh were non-Assamese who readily admitted that they had done so after being threatened with dire consequences if they did not.It is clear from the poor response that the bandh elicited, that the present phase of the agitation has failed to gain the support of many sections of the people. The bandh received only limited support in Upper Assam. The Ahoms (who are the original inhabitants of Assam) are not taking an enthusiastic part in the agitation as they have come to feel that the movement is basically serving the ends of upper caste Assamese, the Brahmins who comprise only about 10 per cent of the population.In Cachar the Bengali-dominated district, the bandh had no effect whatsoever. In Goalpara and Nowgong (which are Muslim-dominated) also there was only partial response to the bandh. This muted response in Goalpara and Nowgong is also thought to be a reflection of the growing strength of alternative organisations like the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU).Futile Games: With all these factors coming into play it is hardly surprising that the agitation leaders are being tempted to resort to violence to achieve their ends. But as the agitation alters its character gradually the political parties of the state are still playing their futile game of numbers. Recent hopes that the state would get a popular ministry were belied when 21 leftist leaders refused to join hands with parties like the Janata and the Congress(S).Their decision came after the central committee of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) decided that the party would not have any part in such an alliance. The Congress (I), on the other hand, is also having difficulty getting its act together as there is widespread opposition to former chief minister Anwara Taimur.The lack of popular government is preventing the Government from taking any imaginative new initiatives to end the agitation. However, right now it seems that there is no hope of elections being held because the voters' list cannot be updated till the foreigners issue is solved.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 25, 2013--- ENDS ---

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Character of Assam agitation movement gradually undergoes change

As the Assam agitation, the long-running saga of the north-east, lumbers on into its third year without ever getting any closer to a solution, the character of the movement is gradually undergoing a change.

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