MISGUIDED PREACHING OF SOME ASSAMESE INTELLECTUALS
“The irresponsible campaigners even made early resolutions that Hindu Bengali would never mingle with Assamese locals in the State. This is unfortunate to say the least that a group of people, who do not even have a modicum of shame, tried to mislead the common people by misrepresenting facts”
Could Assam, a Northeast Indian province, be put on a red-hot pan anytime by few motivated leaders even though with a wrong reason? Even though, most of the Assamese speaking people often listen to a section of biased intellectuals, who often make statements time and again with little facts to create confusions, could those preachers succeed in their evil mission? Many such pertinent questions are being raised after a simple incident that was used for manufacturing series of protests against the outsiders (if not foreigners) in the State. A group of traders, primarily from the Bengali speaking community, physically assaulted few former-rebels belonged to the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa)recently in Nagaon locality of central Assam. Initial media reporting on local news channels narrated that the ex-Ulfa youths went there asking money and then both the group ended up quarrelling and finally physical assaults. The traders were seen slapping some of the youths in CCTV footages. Few of the group also fled from the location. Finally, the police arrive, in the location to reduce the tension successfully.
By next day, the Ulfa leaders in Guwahati claimed that those youths went there to generate funds for flood reliefs. But the traders (read Bengalis) misbehaved them and thus they hurt the sentiment of locals (read indigenous people). Their voices were multiplied by a section of Assamese intellectuals inclusive of academician, writer, journalist, civil society activists etc through various media outlets. The Ulfa (Independent) leader Paresh Barua, who has been hiding somewhere in China-Myanmar border jungles for years, immediately reacted to the incident and warned the traders of dire consequences. Even the Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, who is engaged in peace talks with the Union government in New Delhi, also came out with the threatening statement against the outsiders.
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