JB LAMA, SNS, NE: TONIGHT on the eve of India’s 61st Republic Day, President Pratibha Patil, in her customary address, is sure to repeat the appeal to the nation made by each of her predecessors “to eschew violence, seek a peaceful solution to people’s grievances for which the country’s democratic system and federal structures provide the necessary mechanisms and dedicate themselves afresh to the high values of justice, liberty and equality and the task of building a modern India and eradicating poverty”. This message is what we expect, its outcome what we hope for, but what we cannot fathom is what our leaders want, especially those in the North-east, particularly Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.
Come Republic Day or for that matter Independence Day, it is fashionable for militants in the first two states to call for a boycott of celebrations and issue threats that force state governments to issue maximum alert orders.
Mercifully, over the past two or three years, such threats have been losing their sting, with more and people defying rebel diktats and participating in ceremonial parades associated with national days.
Over the past few months, a most disturbing trend has been the steep rise in prices of essential commodities, particularly rice, pulses, sugar and vegetables, thus diminishing the purchasing power of the salaried and the poor. It must be acknowledged that prices in North-east markets are at least 30-35 per cent higher than what prevails in the rest of the country because most food items are imported from other states. Poultry, meat, fish and eggs (until recently, most affordable) are no longer within the means of even middle class families. Nothing could be more disconcerting than the report of a drinking water “famine” in the Imphal valley.
Most state governments have pleaded helplessness in implementing the Finance Commission’s recommendation to hike the salaries of government employees. Little wonder then that bribery and corruption are rampant among the work force.
Another disconcerting feature is the killing of outsiders, mostly floating wage-earners, in Manipur — a rare occurrence till three years ago. About 30 have been gunned down so far. Even as scandalous, not a single perpetrator has been brought to book so far, nor has the outfit responsible been identified. The general feeling is that the Ibobi government is least interested. It is alleged that some outsiders who took refuge in a dharamsala in Imphal town were not taken proper care of and some had to be sent home, thanks to public donations that included the Governor himself.
It is the constitutional right of every bona fide Indian citizen to settle down in any part of the country and work, but the continuous influx of migrants into Meghalaya has prompted the Khasi Students’ Union to demand a permit system for outside workers. Whether this amounts to an infringement of fundamental rights is not clear but in December 2008 the Meghalaya cabinet did approve an amendment to the Meghalaya Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulations and Conditions of service) Rules 1985 to give more power to law-nforcing agencies to deal with the influx problem.
The Union home ministry’s decision to deal directly with the NSCN(IM) has put the more than 12-year-old Nagaland peace process in jeopardy. A new proposal for a “lasting peace” is being planned but one fails to understand this sudden change in policy. It gives the impression that the Centre is least interested in solving the Naga problem and is, instead, trying to buy time so as to delay the issue till the present NSCN(IM) leadership disappears from the scene.
In short, Delhi continues to remain oblivious of the reality in the North-east.
Most state governments have pleaded helplessness in implementing the Finance Commission’s recommendation to hike the salaries of government employees. Little wonder then that bribery and corruption are rampant among the work force.
Another disconcerting feature is the killing of outsiders, mostly floating wage-earners, in Manipur — a rare occurrence till three years ago. About 30 have been gunned down so far. Even as scandalous, not a single perpetrator has been brought to book so far, nor has the outfit responsible been identified. The general feeling is that the Ibobi government is least interested. It is alleged that some outsiders who took refuge in a dharamsala in Imphal town were not taken proper care of and some had to be sent home, thanks to public donations that included the Governor himself.
It is the constitutional right of every bona fide Indian citizen to settle down in any part of the country and work, but the continuous influx of migrants into Meghalaya has prompted the Khasi Students’ Union to demand a permit system for outside workers. Whether this amounts to an infringement of fundamental rights is not clear but in December 2008 the Meghalaya cabinet did approve an amendment to the Meghalaya Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulations and Conditions of service) Rules 1985 to give more power to law-nforcing agencies to deal with the influx problem.
The Union home ministry’s decision to deal directly with the NSCN(IM) has put the more than 12-year-old Nagaland peace process in jeopardy. A new proposal for a “lasting peace” is being planned but one fails to understand this sudden change in policy. It gives the impression that the Centre is least interested in solving the Naga problem and is, instead, trying to buy time so as to delay the issue till the present NSCN(IM) leadership disappears from the scene.
In short, Delhi continues to remain oblivious of the reality in the North-east.
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