The curious case of Assam

The good Doctor's recent statement in Tinsukhia, Assam addresses the plight of the innocent Bihari migrant whilst asserting the UPA Govt's policy in the following manner:

“no one should mistake our openness for talks as a sign of weakness. I would like to make it clear that there is no room for violence and it will not be tolerated. At the same time, I will also emphasise that all problems can be sorted out through dialogue.......The Indian state has an obligation to provide security and protect the lives of its law-abiding citizens. This we will discharge, let there be no doubt on that score.”

While the speech may indeed have been inspiring and rousing, it is yet another reflection of the difference of opinion between the Government and the Congress party. Perhaps the affable Dr. Singh is not aware of the fact that the Congress came to power in Assam last year, only after having received the endorsement of the ULFA - the very outfit New Delhi seeks to now target.

There are other links here as well which are disconcerting. One, the ULFA is known to receive logistic and financial support from Islamic terrorist outfits operating out of Bangladesh. Two, because of its proximity to Bangladesh, Assam attracts the maximum number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants who have over the years become a source for vote bank politics, especially for the Congress. Three, that the Congress does not discriminate between illegal migrants and Indian citizens becomes evident with its desire to re-introduce the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act with a few necessary amendments after the same was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2005.

For all the aforementioned reasons above, it should not come as any surprise that the ULFA seeks to target Bihari and not Bangladeshi migrants in the state of Assam and with this understanding there is also a disconcerting realisation that the words of our PM are just that - words. After all, it would be very silly politics if the Congress were to target its only political ally in the state of Assam......