Assam needs selfless and uncompromising alternative regional entity: Arup Borbora

NEW REGIONAL PARTY

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Prominent citizens from different walks of life, communities, tribes and religions have come together to launch ‘Ancholikotabad Suraksha Mancha’, a new political platform to revive as well as make regionalism relevant in Assam’s politics. In an interview with The Sentinel, senior advocate and social activist Arup Borbora who is also the chief convener of the Mancha, explains details about the objective and action plan of the new political entity. Below are excerpts of the interview……

The Sentinel: You are launching a regional political party at a time when the recent Lok Sabha elections results were considered by many as the last nail in the coffin of regional politics in Assam. How confident and optimistic are you about your political venture?

Arup Borbora: The question is not about particular regional political parties failing in Assam or in a few other States during the latest Lok Sabha election conducted with Assembly elections in four States. In the context of India’s quasi-federal quasi-central system of governance, regionalism has always been and will continue to be of utmost relevance. As you mentioned, nail in the coffin may be a symptomatic indication for a particular regional political party of Assam. Any regional political party devalued by blatant compromise with its basic regional character and thereby deceiving the regional populace which had initially patronized it, is bound to go into oblivion if not buried altogether. Equally, such degraded regional political entity is bound to be replaced by the people through emergence of true dedicated, selfless and uncompromising alternative regional entity. This is what history tells you!

I am, therefore, confident and highly optimistic about our latest political venture to be value-based and dedicated to the regional interests of Assam vis-à-vis the Northeast.

The Sentinel: How different will your party be in terms of objective, ideology and work from the existing regional forces mainly the AGP?

Borbora: Well! Presently we are interacting with various cross sections of people with emphasis on the various ethnic and tribal communities, castes and communities with different regions, languages and dialects as well as the ‘Na-Asomias’ of the plains and hills of Assam, We are not for any chauvinist or exclusivity-based agenda. We are for a progressive, secular, regionalism for Assam and seven sisters with inclusiveness and co-existence being our motto. We have already held the preliminary conference at Guwahati on May 19, which was attended by persons from various ethnic and tribal communities’ members from different religions and linguistic associations from all over the region along with hoards of socio-politically conscious citizens from every nook and corner.

A published concept note chronologically highlighting our ideology, aims and projected works has been placed and approved in the said conference wherein we have prima facie disclosed the socio-political, cultural, educational, economic agenda along with the various burning perennial issues threatening the very existence of Assam and North East. I would welcome you to go through the concept note. This by itself will differentiate our platform with the so-called existing major regional force of Assam. Moreover, the declared objectives of all parties are always attractive and people friendly. It is the actual mode of practice coupled with other political vices that lowers a political entity in the estimation of the people. This has happened with the AGP. I am sorry to say!

The Sentinel: At the time of strong nationalism and era of globalization, how will regionalism work for Assam?

Borbora: Working of true regionalism can never be subdued or subjugated by any amount of globalization or so called nationalism. Regional discrimination, deprivation and backwardness have never been removed by either globalization or the present diaphora of artificial nationalism. Without healthy limbs, can you just expect a healthy human body? It is exactly why regionalism can provide an answer for nation-nationality building.

The Sentinel: Many strong regional issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill could not impact the last Lok Sabha elections. Could you make such issues relevant again? What will be your strategies to convince people?

Borbora: At many junctures in political history certain issue-based protestations may not entirely influence the overall electoral outcome, more so when the electoral orientation is like the one prevailing in India, where a political entity or conglomeration/allies can snatch power even with a minority 30-35% of the total votes! Issues threatening the identity, existence, language and cultures of communities always stand relevant. The democratic assertions and achievements may be delayed. No misinformation vested campaign can legitimize the preferential Hindu expansion in-built in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill lapsed by virtue of dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha nor the backdoor amendment of the Foreigners Order,1948 notified on 7th September, 2015, which sought to legitimate illegal Hindu migrants entering India till 31-12-2014.

The Sentinel: Polarization politics by a few national parties is at its peak even in Assam. How will you defeat such politics?

Borbora: Polarizations of politics or of voters by consecutive ruling national parties during last about four decades have always been on the basis of sectional and illusive, appeasements rather than national employment generations and actual economic uplift. With thousands of farmers committing suicide all over the country, the unemployment index reaching its nadir and 70% of the national wealth having been concentrated in the hands of 1% rich and corporate giants, it is only money power, rhetorical hatreds and communal polarization which are at play. Neither the value system nor true equitable economic growth! Post-independent electoral politics in India has clearly shown that anti-incumbency and socio-political economic misdemeanours could be overcome for two or three consecutive tenures by the defaulting ruling entities through projections of illusive purchasablilty. Truth is such misplaced power-centric achievement gets discarded by the same people subsequently.

The Sentinel: Will you accommodate AGP leaders in your proposed platform? Do not you think that all regional forces should now unite and form a common platform to give a formidable fight against divisive politics of the BJP as well Congress?

Borbora: Regional political parties going haywire and being mortgaged in national power game for craze for personal power can’t subsist. For Assam, and the Northeast, a dedicated sacrificing and integrity-based regional platform with inclusive agenda is the only futuristic course of political action which will not only the take care of our existential challenges but also imbibe a sense of peaceful co-existence of all tribes, caste, religions and ethnic communities and mutual respects to each other. More together we are, more rigorously we assert our rights! An inclusive and new regional party has become a historical necessity for Assam and the Northeast.

You have also posed a question about accommodating AGP leaders in our platform. Let me give a frank reply, I have no personal animosity with any AGP leader! However, lakhs of people like us are ashamed of the fact that this regional party has not only failed itself, but also betrayed the people of the plains and hills who have been believer of true and uncompromising regional leadership. People of Assam vouching for true regionalism have been disillusioned by about a fifteen-twenty faces or masks of AGP’s central leaders for last about twenty-five years if not more. Many of its initial leaders diligently worked for regionalism. But subsequently, a coterie of around 15-20 central leaders and people’s representatives have reduced this party to the stature of a club. I, mince no word to say that ever since 1985, many, if not all MLAs and MPs of this party have amassed wealth and property beyond their known sources of income! And you expect them to serve regionalism? They have lost in all three (3) parliamentary constituencies in the latest Lok Sabha election where they contested. Now, with a bagging bowel, they are knocking at the doors of the BJP leaders for a meagre Rajya Sabha seat? There will be no-entry for this breed of 15-20 central leaders and other current representatives of AGP to our platform. However, we will definitely welcome the deceived, disheartened, detached grassroots workers, office-bearers at the district and mofussil levels to our fold. Already thousands of them have expressed their willingness!

The Sentinel: Finally what are your plans? When you will launch the new regional political platform?

Borbora: We have resolved that in the ensuing four to five months, our ‘Anchalikatabad Suraksha Mancha’ will constitute various districts and sub-divisional units all over the plains and hills. And thereafter, we will launch our regional party at a grand convention at historic Sivasagar district. We are spearheading such a formation with emphasis on youths, women, ethnic-tribal communities, irrespective of caste-creed-language-dialect, religion, I for one have taken that pledge for the rest of my life, I will give everything in my capacity towards building such an inclusive and progressive regional party. I will do that more for the future generation than for myself or my contemporary generation.

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