When I had mentioned in my last post that I would like to share my thoughts on the recent spate of violence in Assam and talk about the issues that have impacted the lives of many in that state and the North-East at large, I had just one thing in mind and that was just my hatred for the insurgents from the neighbouring country. It is not that suddenly I have started to develop a soft-corner for those people but my perspective has changed for sure. We have to blame ourselves as much for this day as we blame those infiltrators. When you do not respect the existence and freedom of your family members and choose to throw them out of the home, you end up opening the door to the unwanted strangers. Instead of strengthening the family ties, if you break the family then you become vulnerable and invite trouble. In the fight between the two, it is often the third person that ends up benefiting the most. Whether it is in Mumbai or it is in the North-East, it is the genuine citizens who have been forced to leave their homes and who fills those vacant spaces??? Any guesses??????? Well, the answer could well be the insurgents who have illegally made our country their home for bread or for blood.
"We have a home but we are homeless."-that was the feeling most of the non-tribals grew up with in the North-East. In Shillong, non-tribals are still not allowed to freely purchase property. Shillong is my home and I am proud of that place as much as any tribal is. I genuinely feel that there is no place better in India than Shillong but then I do not want to go back and settle there. I dreamt of a good life in Shillong but then I do not want to grow old and die in a rented house. When our parents were born there and we grew up there as well, then why such discrimination??? In Assam, there was a time when Bengali-bashing had become a popular past time. All non-tribals are "Dkhars" and when the young tribal students go out of North-East, they are mockingly referred to as "Chinkis" or "Chinese". This is disgusting and ridicules an Indian's right to live in any part of India and call it his or her home. North-East has seen a huge exodus of talented people and now the state of affairs is such that talented doctors and engineers have been replaced by talented terrorists and fake Indians. Mumbai is also going the same way. Such infiltration become all the more menacing for huge country like ours when those insurgents gel in with the crowd and obtain Identity Cards with the help of power hungry politicians.
Coming to the Bodos versus Muslims clashes which have claimed so many lives and threatened to destroy the peaceful lives of many north-easterners in other parts of the country, I must say this was inevitible. The infiltration of Bangladeshis had gone beyond the tolerance of the local people. There is a huge dearth of job opportunities in that region due to negligible development of trade and industry over the years. The anti-
Centre sentiments had been simmering in the hearts of the local people and now with the Bangladeshi muslims snatching away their land and livelihood, things went beyond control. The insecurities fuelled the aggression and violence erupted when those illegal muslim migrants united in the acts of violence to somehow stop themselves being forced out. It was the duty of the State Government to not only stop Bodos from
adopting the aggressive route by addressing their concerns but also by throwing those illegal migrants out. They failed (if at all they tried I mean) and so the citizens took law into their own hands.
The most shocking aspect, however, was that not a single Muslim Organisation spoke out against the muslim infiltrators. Rather there seemed to be a lot of support for those infiltrators while the local tribe got cornered. It was strange to see the Muslims taking to the streets in major Indian cities against the attacks on the Muslim migrants. It is clear that they put religion before country. I have tremendous respect for the strong bond that the Muslim communities have but what troubles me is that they have not come out to showcase their love for India. Just imagine the day when all the muslims in every Indian city come out on the streets to show to the world that they are the children of mother India and no outsider should dare to even think bad about India and Indians. You cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of being an Indian citizen unless you do not stand up for India. Hindus like us, as usual, chose to be indifferent and again did not come out in support of the Indians and against those cockroaches who are infesting our society. Pakistan, China and Bangladesh would have been delighted to witness the cracks that have been exposed by the chaotic scenes that one witnessed in our railway stations in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad recently. If a couple of SMSs can cause such chaos then we as citizens must question ourselves and our Government regarding our roles in strengthening the nation. Otherwise, the termites would make our country hollow from within and weakening it enough for any of our neighbours to make merry.
One would have noticed that in the clash between the local tribe and the illegal migrants, it was the genuine non-tribals who also had to run away from cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad for fear of life. Unless we see ourselves as Indians, we would never be able to stop these infiltrators of any caste, community or colour. Tribals or non-tribals; Dkhars or Chinkis; Bengalis, Bodos or Assamese; Hindus or Muslims..... nothing should matter as long as we are Indians. Any home can only be protected against the outside threats, only when all the family members enjoy equal rights to the ownership of every corner of that home. If there is any inner discord between the family members then the outsiders would have to hardly break any sweat to break in and take possession. Finding a fake Indian is like finding a needle in the haystack but it becomes a bit easier if we focus on the needle rather than the varied features or types of hay.
ARE WE INDIANS UPTO THE TASK??????????
