Imkong Walling
It is not uncommon for the Assam state government to flex muscles in the north-eastern region of India when it wants to make a point. The show of power is evident in the way it handles the festering territorial disputes with its neighbours, while conveniently presenting itself as the birthing mother to the smaller states in the region.
The ‘parent state’ claim, which is frequently cited by writers from Assam, however, only stems from Assam’s historical position as a province of British India from which the present day smaller states were carved out. While this fact is not contested, another unequivocal fact, which is not featured by the writers and media in Assam, was the unfair process adopted by the British Raj to annex the erstwhile ‘excluded’ tribal territories into the then province of Assam without the knowledge and express consent of the people native to the ‘excluded’ territories.
To the advantage of the Assam government, it has economic and political clout with which it can make itself heard, and the one-sided literature that gets written about the border disputes becoming the accepted truth.
Coupled with a strategic geographical location, serving as the main conduit for the other NE states to greater India, it has always had the upperhand, unfairly silencing the neighbours whenever unrest in the borders occurs.
That’s how the NE’s big brother has been playing the game underneath all the projected romanticism and camaraderie of the erstwhile ‘seven sisters.’
The recent developments — the Assam Chief Minister proclaiming the raising of commando units for deployment in the Assam-Nagaland border and a proposed ‘Cattle Preservation’ law – speaks volumes of the Assam government’s attitude towards its marginalised neighbours.
As far as the border issue with Nagaland is concerned, such aggressive and insensitive posturing does not augur well for resolving the dispute. The cow protection bill, while it appears justified from a Hindu religious perspective, also reeks of a cloaked State ploy to target the beef-eating population surrounding Assam.
Meanwhile, the Nagaland state government’s perceptible aloofness from the issue at hand, juxtaposed with the stand taken by its counterparts in Mizoram and Meghalaya, has been far from encouraging.
It is rare for the Nagaland state government to convincingly face up to challenges, let alone meet public expectations. In fact, propensity to sit and watch has been a hallmark of successive governments, which have helmed the state of affairs in the state.
However, notwithstanding the drawbacks, the Nagaland government may be reminded that it is ‘one among equals’ in a great Union of states called India. It calls for being assertive – which should not be misconstrued with aggression – when it matters, and not remaining a fence-sitter.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
