Ushering in Peace with Peace
1st January 2009 witnessed blasts in Guwahati ahead of Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s visit despite high security, as claimed by the state government. In the wake of the blasts, P. Chidambaram said that the Assam government had clue of miscreant activities but, were not able to able to avert the blasts. As such, the law and order situation of the state had to be handled by the Union Home Ministry. Whether CM Tarun Gogoi and his council of ministers felt pinched is not known, but mature citizens have understood the tone of sarcasm in the Home Minister’s remark. It also reflects that P. Chidambaram has gouged the lack of will of the state government to tackle insurgency in earnest.
It is said that to tame an unruly bull, it has to be gripped by the horn. If one gets hold of the tail, it gets even violent and uncontrollable. This simple fact can be seen in the sphere of administration in a wider forum, and is applicable in the case of a far bigger problem.
Assam witnessed a series of killings of family members of leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) between 1996 to 2001. This was the time period when L.K. Advani was the Union Home Minister and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was the CM of Assam. Advani took to the tail and believed in killing at the grassroot, which is undemocratic, unfruitful and above all, a heineous crime against humanity. How can one think of bringing in societal peace with violence? The situation can be silenced, but that Silence is no Peace. It might turn out to be a latent volcano in the long run.
On the other hand, present Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has got hold of the ULFA by its horns, that is, the top leaders. The arrest of the ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa is an out and out result of the focus of the Home Minister to bring a peaceful end to the long stretched insurgency wrecked by this mother outfit of all militant groups of Assam. This step might help to bring about a solution without affecting the lives of innocents. No doubt, P. Chidambaram is a stern administrator, but he is equally concerned about the aspect of human approach. He will go down the history of India as one of the finest Home Ministers the country ever had.
The commitment of Home Minister P. Chidambaram to the cause of internal peace of India can be ascertained when he said in Jammu on Oct 14 last, “The Prime Minister has given me the task of finding a solution to the J & K problem… We cannot afford to pass on this issue to generations ahead.” He has stressed on humanistic approach in mentioning “quiet diplomacy with all the political groups in Kashmir…We’ll build a consensus, which would then be made public.”
In the case of Assam, a lasting solution to the insurgency problem can be achieved only when the ministers of the state and the government administration is committed to the cause of peace and order.
Random Stories
12 Feb 2012 - 3:17am |
editor
Dispur has prepared a draft proposal to revise minimum wages for workers and employees engaged under NREGA under the relevant provisions of Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
According to official sources...
3 May 2015 - 8:54pm |
AT News
The Asom Gana Parishad on Sunday rolled out Vision 16 sounding poll bugle for the assembly polls early next year. In a huge rally at Amguri, party president Atul Bora said that the Congress era...
8 Feb 2012 - 1:18am |
trishnalineog
The Divided Soul, a documentary on the plight of Assamese people of China origin during the Indo-China war, has entralled the journalists at the Mumbai International Film Festival. Sahitya Academy...
5 Nov 2007 - 5:52am |
pbaruah
Pakistan set a target of 240 for the Team India while it elected to bat at the First ODI series in Guwahati which is going on at the Nehru Stadium amid an elaborate security arrangement. The men...
Other Contents by Author
The Bodo community of Assam is the worst sufferer of the policy of illegal migration for rise in the number of voters. This group of people are the most affected by the ‘Vote-Bank’ scheme of the Government of India in collaboration with successive Governments of Assam (demo-cratically elected since post-‘independence’). The worst affected districts of Western Assam, due to such politically motivated “Chain Migration” has got an autonomous council, but only in name. The so called ‘minority’ calls the shots when a Government is to be formed at Dispur as well as Delhi. Parts of Western Assam are facing the brunt of such myopic policies of...
In the 7th century AD, when Buddhism was strengthening its hold over North India, a group from the priest class forwarded a new concept to arrest the growth of Buddhism. Gautam Buddha was declared the ninth incarnation or 'avatar' of Lord Vishnu (the Protector God of the Hindu Trinity). That gave a death blow to the expansion of Buddhist faith and ideals in the country of its origin.
Likewise, the stories of Maoists forming forum to resist big dams cooked in the power corridors of Delhi to be fed to the masses through the'Tarun Gogoi's and 'Nabam Tuki's of weak states like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh holds no water. Here we can quote the famous lines of Abraham Lincoln, "You can fool some...
On December 19, the Assam Assembly adopted an unanimous resolution urging the Central Government of India to confer the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ on Bhupen Hazarika posthumously. There are worthier things to do other than wasting the tax-payers’ money in assembly sittings for ‘resolutions’ of this type. Just as Jitumoni Kalita’s winning a dance competition, Debojit Saha winning a singing competition or Ananya Banajyotsna participating in talent ‘hunt’ shows is not going to help the masses of Assam, so also Assam MLAs begging for ‘Bharat Ratna’ to Bhupen Hazarika is not going to help the cause of the state and its people...
Home loan, car loan, education loan, health loan, travel loan….life on loan. 20 years down the lane of liberalization, this is where the great middle class in India finds itself. As if the burden of the three ancient ‘celebrations’ was not enough. The just mentioned trio is birth, marriage and death, of them, marriage being the most taxing. In village economy, the life of a Hindu family used to be caught in three debts owing to janma (birth), vivaha (marriage), mrityu(death). This was a cunning strategy of the priest and the ruling class to engage the working class in economic bondage. 20th century saw the springing up of cities in India. Situation remains the same, only...
Radhika Tanwar (20) is shot dead in Delhi. We see the perpetrator of the murder in the newspapers. We see protest marches brought out for the safety of women and girls.
Any rape, any murder in the city. We see the criminals.
Tarmetla, Chattisgarh. Hurre (20) is picked up by Indian government employed armed forces to the Chintalnar police station, stripped and sexually assaulted. But we donot see the perpetrators of the crime. May we request the government of the world’s largest democracy to disclose the names and pictures of security personals and policemen involved in crime?
The most unfortunate thing is the unconsciousness of the Great Indian middle class towards the pathos,...
Once one lands in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), it makes one realize why Malaysia has the distinction of having the world’s best airport. The accomplishments of this small country in South East Asia is to be seen. Being on a strategic sea route position in the tropics, Malaysia has seen different groups of people trade and travel enroute its shores. In Ptolemy’s map, ancient Malaysia was shown as “Golden Khersonese”. In 2010, it looks so, prosperous and improving constantly.
Malaysia has a tropical climate, if it shines in the morning, afternoon awaits rain. It was late in the evening when we reached Kuala Lumpur. Roads and the road-sides, all well-...
As soon as we landed at the Suvarnabhumi (pronounced ‘su-wan-na-poom’) Airport in Bangkok, the guide lead us to a tourist bus. In the bus, the tom-boyish jovial lady says to us, “Welcome to Thailand, the land of gold, the land of white elephant,.... .” Lets see for ourselves if these sobriquets are relevant. She went on, “In Thailand, 95% people are Buddhists. We eat meat.” The Buddhism in Thailand didn’t spread directly from India. The import was via Sri Lanka in 3rd century B.C. There more than 35,000 Wats (Buddhist monasteries or temples) in Thailand, a country of 513,115 sq. km. Whether these have been able to shape the life of the people in the...
Sept 23, 2010. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi comes to Guwahati campus of IIT and makes a statement, “Construction of big dams in the North East is not ‘anti-people’and the concern of the common man is being given top priority.” It is baffling to come across such an insensitive remark when mass protests are going on against mega dams in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Three ancient tribes of the two states will suffer the most-- the Adis, the Misings and the Deuris. It seems Rahul Gandhi has not done his home work well like most politicians in India or it might be because Assam has the same party in power as at the Centre.
A...
A decade back, when in my mid-teens, I went on a trip to Kameng in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. I knew that my generation had been very successfully indoctrinated with the concept of Indian and India. So I was looking out for an old grandpa to know the unadulterated reality of erstwhile N.E.F.A (North East Frontier Agency). My wish was answered when I met a gaonburha (village headman), with his grandchild near a hanging rope bridge. I struck a conversation with the tiny tot and his grandpa. When I asked the gaonburha whether he thought himself to be an Indian or a Chinese, I got the most amusing answer I have ever come across till date. The grand old man said, “Xeitutu moi...
Nemati ghat in Jorhat. This is one of the three main riverine routes to reach Majuli, the largest river island in Asia. The other two river fronts being Luit-Khabalu ghat from North Lakhimpur and Dhakuakhana from Dhemaji. This Bohag Bihu, we planned a trip to Majuli and reached Nemati ghat in Jorhat to avail the ferry service of 4:30 p.m. It is the last ferry for the day. The road leading to Nemati ghat was dusty, but the sight of the ghat was disappointing. It was mud, potholes brimming with water and a bumpy, unkempt place all around. This was the doorway to Majuli, the proposed UNESCO world heritage site. Once an island of 1250 sq. km., today Majuli is a shadow of its former self with...
Add new comment