The self immolation of a man belonging to the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) a peasant’s organisation led by Akhil Gogoi, on Monday in front of the Dispur Secretariat is a cause for concern. It signals the arrival of anarchy and street battles that seem to have spiralled out of control. Akhil Gogoi has led many public protests and derailed life in Dispur on several occasions. Before the Monday episode Gogoi had warned that some KMSS members had threatened to immolate themselves if the Assam Government refuses to give land pattas to 85,000 landless people. These people had been evicted for encroaching into the forests and green spaces surrounding the city of Guwahati. Such extreme steps which border on blackmail are not expected in a democracy where dialogue and a policy of give and take are the rules of engagement. Environmentalists have stated categorically that Guwahati city would die if the greenery and canopy bordering the city and functioning as it green lungs is encroached upon by unregulated hutments.
Akhil Gogoi could not have chosen a better moment to launch his protest. The immolation happened a day before the Nehru-Gandhi scion, Rahul Gandhi would be touring Assam. Rahul is aware that Narendra Modi has got a head start over him as far as touring the North East is concerned. Modi has visited the region twice and made quite a splash in Arunachal Pradesh where he literally roared at the Chinese to stop their expansionist plans. In Manipur too Modi made the right noises promising development – something that is sorely lacking in the region, despite huge funds injection by a patronising central government. Akhil Gogoi is quick to take advantage of a political situation. He found Rahul’s visit a good occasion to make his presence felt and had threatened to disrupt the Congress rally. But after the self immolation turned awry and the victim died in a local hospital that same day Akhil Gogoi withdrew his protest. Instead he declared a 12 hour bandh on the day of Rahul Gandhi’s visit. As expected the bandh was only partially successful. But the larger question is whether Gogoi had incited his followers to self immolate. And if that be the case then is Gogoi not an abettor of suicide? Anarchy has its limits in a democracy.