The foreign hand has been the safest alibi for Indian rulers since Indira Gandhi. The latest MMS/SMS scare resulting in the exodus of students and professionals from the North East scattered across the length and breadth of the country has been laid at the doorstep of Pakistan. Our hostile neighbour on the other hand has asked New Delhi to furnish evidence of the origin of the MMS from that country. Although the Union Home Ministry claims to have hacked and blocked about 254 internet sites from which hates speeches have emanated, the administrators of those sites are still unknown entities and at large. No one has been apprehended as yet. This leaves the field wide open for speculation.
The UPA leadership beginning with its chairperson has been making the right noises and telling the people of North East that they have every right to live in any part of their own country. But these assurances have fallen on deaf ears. What does this tell us? That the people of the North East have perhaps not really felt at home in those cities where they work and live and have not actually been accepted as part of the citizenry there. That they have lived in secluded ghettos being concerned only with pursuing their livelihoods or studies. Settling at a place means taking part in its life and culture and contributing to its organic growth and never for a moment feeling like an outsider. This takes effort from both sides – the people of those states which offer employment and where educational institutions are located and the people of the North East who are temporary settlers there. Perhaps there has been no conscious effort to build this rapport.
The fact that there is a distinct racial and cultural difference between people of the North East and the rest of India has exacerbated the problem. Despite India’s stated position on its respect for diversities, not much confidence building measures have actually happened on the ground to make the people of the North East feel they are part and parcel of the great Indian nation. Hence any incident is enough to make people of this region feel helpless and alienated and to rush back to their comfort zones back home. This incident has flagged many important issues which the rulers of this country have to learn from so that such crises are not repeated in future. It will take a while before those who have returned to their homes in the North East would feel safe to return to their places of work or study.