Continuing campaigns for Assam Assembly elections have confused the Assam intellectuals to raise vital issues before the future state legislators and improve the quality of political atmosphere affecting the entire society for quite some time. Almost all political parties have started ‘derogatory’ comments against their rivals for attracting the electorates by their acts and objectives about which they are themselves ignorant. The main reason behind such interpretation is lack of knowledge about the real issues on which the political parties are campaigning. Assam as a state of multi-lingual and religious people continued to be disturbed since the year1979, when several organizations under the leadership of All Assam Students Union (ASSU) started agitation on foreigners’ issue, which continued for long six years. The reasons for the agitation were given as inclusion of the names of foreign nationals in the voter lists and the demand was placed to delete their names from the voter lists. Meanwhile, Assembly elections were also held in the year 1983 despite boycott by the movement organizations. The state remained in ‘coma’ for a long time leaving the poor citizens to bear the brunt of a lengthy agitation.
On 15th August 1985, Assam Accord was signed at New Delhi between the Central government and the movement leaders in presence of erstwhile Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It was decided to stop agitation and form a political party to participate in the electoral process. The Assembly was dissolved and a new political party, Asom Gana Parisad (AGP) came into existence. In December 1985 Assembly elections the AGP came to power defeating Congress Party led by the chief minister Hiteswar Saikia. Interestingly, the disputed voter lists of 1979 remained unchanged and ‘new rulers’ overlooked their earlier demand of deleting foreigners name from the list. The pleasure of power led the ‘young men’ to forget the past.
Asom Gana Parisad (AGP) got an opportunity to rule the state despite their maiden entry into political arena. This term proved for them as learning period. Unfortunately, they lost the next Assembly polls and Congress Party returned to power again. The AGP got a second chance to form a ‘coalition government’, with the help of a few smaller parties including Left, but failed to perform better. The Congress Party returned to power under the leadership of Tarun Gogoi and continued to rule over the state for long fifteen years. ’Fifteen years of confidence and 15 years of development’ became the main slogan for poll campaign of Congress Party this time.
The Central government run by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for a decade since 2004 provided full financial support to the state without hitch, which led the administration to high level of corruption and misuse of funds. Despite allegations coming to light the blessings of Central government did not find any reason to control the situation. The Centre-State relations till 2014 parliamentary elections were cordial as the Congress party was in power at Centre as well as the state.
The ‘surprising’ results of 2014 Lok Sabha elections giving huge victory to National Democratic Alliance (NDA) shattered the peaceful relation between Centre and State governments. The complaints of state government during last two years are that the Centre has failed to give sufficient financial support whereas the Central government continued to demand the utilization certificate of the funds given by the earlier Central government. Air is on high that heavy amounts of such funds were ‘utilized’ for managing the influential people including a few intellectuals in order to run the state administration peacefully. May be that is the reason for which the intellectuals are confused and have failed to realize the real issues before the state.
23 Aug 2015 - 4:01pm | AT News
Pamohi, the name of a nondescript place far from the din and bustle Guwahati city turns into a sea of humanity.The focal point of attraction is Bhimsankar. The tiny hillock pulls huge crowd on Sunday...
20 May 2011 - 1:21pm | editor
Bokakhat press club recently publised a book "Kalyan Kharman" on educationist, journalist, poet Late Thaneswar Hazarika. The book was released by Bhabesh Saikia, president AAPKU, Debendra Nath Borah...
5 Dec 2009 - 6:01pm | Nanda Kirati Dewan
United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, Deputy C-in-C Raju Baruah, personnel security to Rajkhowa Raj Borah were produced before the Magistrate at the court of Chief...
4 Jul 2016 - 5:23pm | SK Hasan
Several parties and organizations staged protests in Sivasagar district on Monday raising a number of issues confronting Assam and its people. Hundreds of activists of the Peoples Council of Peace...
Gamusas and Japis are two important items in Assam, which are in much demand throughout the year in the state especially during festival seasons and social functions. These items are demanded by the people to honor the guests and honorable persons during each and every event. However, it has been found that throughout the festival seasons the supply of locally woven gamusas are not according to demand by the customers. The reason behind it is said to be heavy cost of the locally produced items. On the other hand the weavers and traders from other parts of the country take advantage of supplying gamusas at cheaper rates and make more profit despite spending heavy cost on...
Archaeological Survey of India, Guwahati circle, has been trying to take-up the work of repairing of a broken pillar in the Mandap of Hayagriva Madhav Temple at Hajo for a long time. ASI, Guwahati has informed the media through a press note that one of the pillars of ancient temple was broken in three parts due to rusting of the iron dowels holding each other and the other developed cracks due to the same reason and widened more after the earthquake of May 2015. Hayagriva Madhav Temple is a reconstructed temple during the Koch period. The architectural parts of the earlier temple have been used for reconstruction. Different parts of the temple have been used randomly for making the pillars...
There is a generation gap between the signing of Assam Accord on the Independence Day 1985 and the present generation has to face new challenges to compete with the world class people in all spheres of development. The young people are confused over the airing of old issues which have lasted for long 31 years in absence of any solution. The issues pertaining to the Accord have become irrelevant under the present circumstances. The Assam Accord issue is still haunting and confusing the present generation due to absence of a clear picture. The fate of the Accord is not known to the people in general. A few politicians and intellectuals are trying to raise the issues of the accord from time to...
It is an established fact that a person involved in political activities cannot remain in peace till his cherished dreams are fulfilled. This can be noticed through the recent statements of former Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, who has been expressing his views frequently in media against the four months old BJP-led alliance government in the state under the chief minister ship of Sarwanand Sonowal. He (Gogoi) dares to demand a ‘white paper’ from state government about the steps taken by it to clear the encroachments of forest and other government lands in the state and also to let the people of the state know, what action it has taken to identify and deport the foreign...
Addressing a huge gathering of residents of Udaypur, Jonakpur and Birubari at Udaypur Kali Mandir complex on Sunday, July 3, 2016, East Guwahati Assembly Member, Siddharth Bhattacharjee, emphasized the need of implementing the vision document of development as envisaged by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking at the function organized by Udaypur Yuva Sangha to felicitate him on his success in the recently concluded polls to the state Assembly, he conveyed his thanks to the people of the area for showing their confidence in him. He assured the people that he would not let their confidence go in vain. The meeting was presided over by Dr Phani Borah. Senior citizen of the locality Kartik...
Hardly a few days ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Alliance has taken the reign of Assam administration the results of efforts made by Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi to bring back black money to the state coffer, has started recently with the arrest of Dhemaji Divisional Forest Officer, Mahat Chandra Talukdar by anti-corruption department. For a long time the reports of wildlife crimes were in the air, but the previous state administration ruled by Congress Party under the three-terms leadership of Tarun Gogoi did not try to take any action. The former Chief Minister Gogoi was under a wrong impression that the people who gave him a...
A study conducted by B Boruah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, has revealed that during a decade from 2001-02 to 2011-12, cancer cases in the north-eastern part of the country have gone up from 5,404 to 8,708. A campaign, namely, Cycle 4 ride can help control this dreaded disease. In order to raise awareness to fight cancer a lady, namely, Marcellna Sangma, is going to lead a Biker Mission to 600 kms long stretch from Guwahati to Bum La Pass, near Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. The ride is scheduled to be flagged off by Dr Amar Chandra Kataki, Director, B Boruah Cancer Institute, on April 21, 2016.Expressing her traumatic experience with cancer, Sangma, who was a cancer patient a decade...
Being disturbed since the first phase of polling for Assam Assembly on April 4 last, the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi is finding it difficult to remember the history of Assam agitation propelled by All Assam Students Union (AASU) since the year 1979 to the Independence Day of 1985, resulting in the Assam Accord which was signed between the Assam Government and the movement leaders in presence of erstwhile prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Heavy polling beyond 85 percent of the electorate in the second phase also made Gogoi to think over the majority of young and new voters were not the ‘beneficiaries of getting blankets, yarn and mosquito nets’. They are young, energetic, literate and...
Long awaited North East Graduate Congress, an initiative of Education Research Development Foundation (ERDF) is going to be held from February 26 to 28, 2016. This is the only graduate congress in India being organized by University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) in association with RIST and supported by the State Bank of India (SBI). The venue of the congress is the USTM campus at 9th mile, Khanapara. Addressing the media persons in Guwahati on February 14, 2016, the USTM spokesperson informed that the three days congress is aimed to enhance all round development and bring out the capabilities of future graduates through various life skill processes to bring out their...
Despite many differences with the sayings and doings of the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, I share at least one of his views on an occasion that the people of Assam are ‘emotional’. He is right, I agree since watching the various affairs through which the state has passed and the CM has succeeded in having the reign of state administration successfully for about one and a half decades. Since the beginning of last phase of 20th century, I recall the memories of Assam agitation against the foreigners issue in the state right from the year 1979. The students and the general public under the banner of All Assam Students Union (AASU) and Asom Gana Sangram Samiti (AGSS) brought the entire...
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