By Phrangsngi Pyrtuh
The Assam violence has precipitated a humanitarian crisis and is now taking roots in other parts of the country. A local ethnic problem is on the verge of taking a pan-India outlook much on the lines of the Ayodhya movement which still evokes sensitive memories for a large section of the Indian community. Undoubtedly the worst sufferers are the people from the North East. Thousands fleeing the metros of Bangalore and Pune on account of the fear factor despite the administration assurance of their safety has been completely ignored by our brethren. A question asked is, why this is so? Why do we not trust the government or the administration of the day? Why do we not feel safe as citizens of the greatest democracy in the world? These and many more questions have in fact been asked innumerable times and still we do not have answers. They definitely challenge the idea of a Republic that India is. For a country harping on its pluralistic strength, the last thing we need right now amidst large social dissension against inflation, corruption, policy prognosis is a social upheaval of religious flavour. The Government of the day has put the blame on Pakistan- for incinerating and fuelling rumours through morphed videos etc triggering the mass exodus. If the Pakistan Government is directly involved then the Indian government can take it to court, but it is not – some radical anti-social elements from that country is responsible as alleged by the Indian authorities. Pray how can a group of anti-social elements from across the border manage to create panic of unprecedented levels? How can we explain or account for their success in doing so if the Indian government’s allegation are correct? Is the Indian side completely free from all insanity?
It is without question that the North East is the most alienated region in the country. Its inhabitants are seen as being from a lesser lineage and its culture less refined. We are different in many aspects and this difference have now become a liability in a globalized (read Indianized) world. In spite of the government’s effort to induce integration where nationalism takes precedence over everything else- this effort has not been without loopholes. The politics of the majority versus the minority has now seeped deep in our domain. Opportunities which are widely missing in the North East have compelled mass migration to the urban metros. The reverse migration from the metros back to north east, fuelled by mass insecurity, violence and threats- all of which the government termed as rumours- have split wide open the idea of one country, one nation project of the Indian state.
The government while welcoming the increasing flow of people from the North East to the rest of the country – has not bothered to bridge the distrust and suspicion prevailing against the people of this region. In fact to the policy makers we are special in every way- special packages, special schemes, special policy and what have you, have been subtly smeared in a pretentious approach towards the region. This has only resulted in large scale disgruntlement because nothing that the government does truly reflects what we want or the kind of development we need. It is always an external decision making and never internal. Lack of development in the region and the reluctance of the central government to seriously engage with the politics of the region have only aggravate the situation. We are expected to fall in line without expecting reciprocity since we are not seen as contributing much to the growth agenda of the country though the reason why this is so is clear as crystal.
The North East neatly labelled the ‘Other’ does not exist in the Indian consciousness. Issues of socio-political relevance do not interest the government of the day, which requires long term solution and not quick fix strategy which more than not consist of financial tokenism or worst- authoritarian might such as the military. How else does one explain the spreading violence and prevailing fear psychosis originating, as the authorities alleged, from text messages. Are we not educated or intellectual enough to decipher rumour from facts? How can video clips and text messages create the hysteria that resulted in mass exodus? Why are the people of Bangalore, Pune and others not staying back despite the assurances from both the Central and state governments? The answer is quite simple. We do not trust the authorities and Indian administration of delivering what they promise. There is our whole history to explain why this is so. The government is refusing to buy facts but wants us to consume them as rumours. For the lakhs of people from the North East living in different parts of the country who stayed on despite the exodus- their lives have been confined to their homes and movement restricted to their workplace. A prisoner in their own country! And this is the fact, not rumour.
While the violence is Assam is ethno-political those in the south and western part of the country are strictly targeted to people of the region for their looks, specific features etc. Post Assam violence the backlash and threats against the North East people have lent credence to the structural discrimination that exists but is never officially acknowledged since accepting this would destroy the country’s international reputation of being secular and harmonious. Incidents like the ones in Bangalore and Pune may reoccur in the future but we would expect nothing significant happening to allay these fears as the ‘blow hot and cold’ attitude of the authority to suppress facts by terming them as rumours will continue. Colonial anthropology terms tribes as savages etc- the Indian state being a direct descendent of a colonial country is yet to shed its colonial outlook towards its own people especially the tribes. In this sense the Indian state is a neo-colonist if not one in nature. What it means is that you are most welcome to work and live anywhere in India but you must abide by certain norms and expectation which are already distorted as they are- therefore you may not live or lead the life you want to live (normally)- not by your own accord. Yes you are a citizen of this great democratic land but you must remember that you are a minority under the protection of the majority. We will employ you in government services and plum posts but only because you are a reserved candidate- you will be dictated and told what to do. And yes your freedom is what I define it to be. This article therefore is a tribute to Dana Sangma and Richard Loitam- their cases still remain unsolved (and many others); precious souls whose lives have been cut short because of this ‘invisible’ institutionalized discrimination which frighteningly even our own leaders refuse to accept. We need a movement along the lines of the Civil Rights movement in America- but there is no Martin Luther or Nelson Mandela etc from this region to challenge the Indian state and demand our rights. I fear the opportunity is long gone and we must resign to our fates and a shallow future where we shall always be the ‘insignificant others’