ASSAM: MANDATE 2016

Assembly Electioneering 2016 is bugled in the State of Assam since some time and hip hop of political leaders of different political parties have been started with full zeal. Stalwarts of both national and regional parties are busy flexing their muscles to each other. The political scenario is little bit different this time. Joining of heavyweight ex-minister of Indian National Congress Mr. Himanta Biswasharma has definitely boosted the strong hold of Bhartiya Janata Party in the state and many other followed him.INC lead by old veteran war horse Mr. Tarun Gogoi has also denied facing his nemesis, if any and readying to fight out his Waterloo. On the other side, regional party like AUIDF led by Mr. Badaruddin Ajmal started playing communal game with sensitive comments to members of other communities. In this tug of war between political parties, Hindu Bengalis, who form a large chunk of population in the state, are used as a pawn of this game. Long before, of election fever started in the state, the union home minister Mr. Rajnath Singh declared by a notification dated 7^th of September 2015 that all religious minorities in bordering countries crossed the border due to torture and or other way felt insecure thereat and entered in India for refuge and asylum purpose up to 31.12.2014 will be given citizenship. Under this notification all Hindu immigrants from neibouring country of Bangladesh entered in Assam up to 31.12.2014 becomes bona-fide citizens.

Now the large number of people entered in the state up to this date is Bengali Hindus who became the victim of situation. BJP leaders like Himanta Biswasharma is openly stating that there is not a single foreigner in Brahmaputra Valley and all Bengali Hindu staying in different places of upper or lower Assam  have come from Kolkata(then Calcutta) since generations and they are genuine Indian. He also stated only a few Bangladeshi may be there in Barak Valley only since it shares international boundary with Bangladesh. Definitely, he is playing a political game to reach to all Hindu Bengali voters and to obtain maximum benefit on the EVM button. On the contrary, Tarun Gogoi started his old political game of cash money distribution to all irrespective of caste, creed and religion to swing the vote towards his party. However, Supreme Court has given a judgment against this recently and distribution without any proper scheme is stopped. Badaruddin Ajmal played the worst politics by asking vote for his party purely on religious ground. He asked a particular community to declare war against another religious community and convert this into EVM again. Other smaller regional parties have also joined hand with BJP to fight this political war.

In this scenario, it is not clear now that which party will come to power for another five years. Congress is having its strong hold in tea garden areas as well as a large portion of religious minority voters. A portion of religious minority vote will swing towards AIDUF obviously and BJP will get support of a large number of indigenous Assamese Hindus as well as large portion of Bengali Hindus. Moreover, voters of BTAD area will mostly vote for their regional party who has already a pre-poll alliance with BJP.

So, whatever, the result may come ultimately, the political game at Assam has already reached at its crescendo and entire state is shivering with election fever.  

                      By: - Dibakar Purkayastha, author of the book LOG OUT NORTH EAST INDIA published by (Partridge) Penguin India, New Delhi (2015)