By Barnes Mawrie
“Man is free but everywhere he is in chains” so says Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 -1778) the great French philosopher. This is true of the tribal people of North-east India when we consider the fact that after more than six decades of the Indian Independence, we are still prisoners of a prejudiced political system. The tribal people of North-east continue to be victims of a subtle neo-colonialism by the Indian state. Our forefathers joined the Indian State with the hope that we would be treated on par with others. They were assured of a bright future. But as the situation stands today, the tribal people of the region are still victims of social discrimination and injustice. The population-based representation in the parliament has been a cunning strategy of the interested Hindu group who are bent on monopolizing the affairs of the country from legislation to administration. Perhaps our tribal leaders were too honest as to fail to see such craftiness in them. The population-based representation is a political strategy to perpetuate domination over the minority groups. As a consequence, the North-east tribal voice will never be heard by others whose voices are louder and stronger on account of their dominant population. What can nine or ten North-east tribal MPs do in the midst of hundreds of other MPs who are least bothered about our development. North-east India will always be an appendix both physically and metaphorically in the politics of the nation.
The manner in which our Christian tribal students from North-east India are being treated in other parts of the country is an issue of “national” concern. The case of the suicide of Ms. Dana M. Sangma at Amity University campus, due to the harassment and humiliation by her teacher, is just one case amidst hundreds of unreported cases of harassment. So many North-east students who either study or work in big cities like New Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai have to face discrimination by others. Our students from North-east are treated as low caste and are often considered non-Indians. I may say that we are still experiencing an oppression within a free country. When all other Indians are enjoying the benefits of freedom, justice and self respect, the tribal people of North-east India are still victims of injustice, racial discrimination and violence. We are not given due respect and our constitutional rights are often flouted. In a country like India where the majority rules the roost, the tribal people of North-east, who are a drop in the ocean, often count for nothing and are treated as scum. It is a matter of shame that being citizens of the same country, the people of North-east India are de facto treated as non-Indians by the rest of the country.
Our North-east people often suffer a double discrimination. Firstly, because they are tribals who have a different ethnic origin and secondly, because they are mostly Christians by creed. This is the sad plight of our people from the region whenever they go out into mainland India. I personally have experienced more respect and acceptance from people abroad than when I am traveling in India where I am often looked upon as a stranger. Going by the records, we find that North-east girls are often victims of sexual harassment in cities like New Delhi and elsewhere. In fact they live in constant fear and sense of insecurity. This is the reason why our politicians from North-east must play a more active role in the country. They should make their voices heard at all cost. What is our union minister in-charge of tribal welfare doing? God alone knows. He is the person who has the authority and the mandate to speak out on behalf of all tribal people and to make their grievances heard by those responsible. This is the time when all the tribal chief ministers of North-east India should unite with one voice to demand justice and equal treatment for the people of the region. Will the cases of injustice and crimes against North-east people like that of Dana M. Sangma be pursued in the court of justice or will they be just passed off as routine events?
Even the national media seems to conspire against us. Do they not highlight ad nauseam such similar human rights cases concerning people of X and Y communities? Have we ever seen instead cases of injustice against North-east people being highlighted in our national news channels? The logic is that what happens in North-east India even if it is of great significance is of no national importance while a cow that is run over in UP or MP captures the headlines. Is this not marginalization of a section of the people? Are North-east tribal people not as much Indian as the rest of Indians? We do have freedom fighters like Tirot Sing, Kiang Nangbah, Pa Togen, Rani Gaidinliu and others who are no less than SC Bose, BC Pal, Tilak, G. K Gokhale and others. How come then that our freedom fighters are not highlighted in our history books nor are they revered at the national level? In the last six decades of our republic’s history there has never been a president, vice president or PM of the country from any of the tribal states of North-east India. I believe this is not because there are no capable leaders from our region but it is all partisan politics and a politics of manipulation.
In the forth coming presidential election will the national parties nominate someone from North-east India? We have stalwarts like PA Sangma, JM. Lyngdoh, SC Jamir just to name a few, persons who have national and international reputation. But as far as I know, these names are not contemplated in the list of candidates. This is another instance where tribal geniuses have been sidelined and ignored. Perhaps this is the point of time in history when our North-east political leaders must unite with one voice, “the tribal voice” in order to demand for our rights and privileges. We need to leave behind our ethnic differences but emphasize on our common “tribal identity” and fight the battle with resoluteness.
(The writer is a scholar and a Salesian priest)