Terrorism must end

That the shadow of insurgency and insurgency-related violence haunted the minds of the speakers at the Assam Sahitya Sabha session at Hajo and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha session at Bodosa Nwgwr (Bangaldoba) is clear. The Assam Sahitya Sabha president and eminent litterateur-journalist, Chandra Prasad Saikia, spoke stridently about Assam's past, present and future being linked to India just to emphasise that the idea of a sovereign Assam outside India is inconceivable. The disturbances, both insurgency-related and ethnic violence, have created in Assam an abnormal situation spreading distrust and making economic and cultural development almost impossible. Terrorism has eaten into the vitals of the people of the North-East and unless the canker is removed, the future of the region looks bleak. Apart from a desire to break away from the Indian mainstream, the people of the region seem to suffer from another phobia — terrorism for the sake of terrorism. This is worse pronounced among Bodo groups who are fighting not only other ethnic entities like the immigrants, Adivasis (Shanthals) and Bengali refugees, but also Bodos of other militant groups. For instance, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) have been at each other's throats for quite some time which has not only generated ill-will but has stood in the way of achieving unity besides delaying the demarcation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council area.

The participation of Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) S. K. Sinha and Chandra Prasad Saikia in the Bodo Sahitya Sabha assumes great significance in view of the concern expressed by them at the growth of militancy and the appeal for creation of a congenial atmosphere to enable literature and culture flourish. Both Lt. Gen. Sinha and Bodo Sahitya Sabha president Bineswar Brahma called upon the Bodo groups to sink their differences and come together and work unitedly to achieve the well-being of the community. Brahma was more specific when he urged the different groups like Garos, Rabhas, Tiwas, Deoris, Dimasas, Kshatriya Rajbonshis and Saranias who originate from the Bodo family to assimilate with the mainstream Bodos to build a strong united Bodo entity. With the Bodo language as the lingua franca it should not be difficult to achieve such unity. The Governor correctly averred that senseless violence between ethnic groups has made the plight of the Bodos worse and it was imperative to call a halt to such violent activities. The Bodos should also realise that unless they closed their ranks and presented a united front, they would never achieve the goal of a separate State which most Bodo groups have today opted for. Even to have a workable duly elected BAC and to have its area clearly demarcated the Bodo groups must unite and end their fratricidal war. Governor Sinha who has been reckoned as a friend of Assam for focussing the Centre's attention on the problem of infiltration has taken some initiative to solve the Bodo problem. He is quick to assure the people he is not trying to go one up on the Chief Minister.

Whoever brings together the different Bodo groups or by whichever way they come together, what matters is that they must come together. This is the first step for the Bodos to achieve what they are aiming at. An equally important, if not more, objective should be to defeat terrorism. Chandra Prasad Saikia, while addressing the Bodo Sahitya Sabha session appealed to the presidents of all sahitya sabhas of the State, like the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Mising Sahitya Sabha, Tiwas Sahitya Sabha, Rabha Sahitya Sabha, etc., to sit together with the Assam Sahitya Sabha President and work out a strategy to end militancy and violence in the State. With the popularity and support these literatary organisations enjoy among their respective language groups, the response could be very encouraging. Who knows where governmental mechinery has failed literary organisations could perform a miracle and bring about a change in the attitude of the terrorist groups to
shun violence and return to the path of peace! It is, at least worth a try.

The Assam Tribune