Dear Reader,
Last week when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Assam, it was a different kind of ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ he engaged in. Speaking at the historic tea town of Dhekiajuli, PM Modi alleged there was an “international conspiracy” to “defame India”, and that these conspirators were targeting tea garden workers and denigrating yoga.
In town to inaugurate two medical colleges and a road project, PM Modi’s statements were perhaps a veiled reference to international celebrities tweeting about India’s farmer protests — a move, which has elicited strong backlash in India. Read all about PM Modi’s speech — both in Assam and Bengal — here, and its possible inferences.
From #ExpressExplained
Sunday’s visit happened to be the Prime Minister’s second visit to the state in a fortnight. Both venues he chose have historical significance that locals remember with pride, but a few outside the state may know about. While the first was Sivasagar’s Jerenga Pothar, where 17th-century Ahom Princess Joymoti sacrificed her life, Dhekiajuli is often called the “martyr” town and home to possibly the youngest martyr of the 1942 Quit India movement — 12-year-old Tileswari Barua. Read all about the firebrand here.
A few days after PM Modi’s visit, Home Minister Amit Shah arrived — this time Shah did not address a mega rally, but visited the home of Ananta Rai, an influential Koch Rajbongshi leader, who is a descendant of the erstwhile royal family of Cooch Behar. In this explainer, we look at origins of the Koch Rajbongshi community, their significance politically and how important they will be in the upcoming elections, both to Assam and Bengal.
The Myanmar Coup
While we already told you how the military coup in Myanmar had affected businesses in Manipur’s border town Moreh, this week ripples were felt in Mizoram, when authorities in Champai district issued an alert against influx of refugees after an armed outfit sought refuge for at least 40 families fearing crackdown by the Myanmarese army.
Context? Champai shares a porous border with Myanmar’s Chin State. The Mizo and the Chin communities share similar ethnic roots, and inter-marriages too occur between them
From Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh
The retrenched Tripura teachers, whose 50-day protest culminated in clashes last month, have now moved the court, after they were denied permission to hold a protest.
Context? The sacked teachers are among the 10,323 who lost their jobs due to a faulty hiring process. The issue goes back to 2014, when nearly 10,000 appointments were cancelled by the court because of irregularities in the recruitment. While many were re-inducted on an ad-hoc basis, their tenure ended on March 31 last year, leaving them jobless since. This has led to the slew of recent protests, demanding a permanent solution to their problem.
To tackle the drug menace in Arunachal Pradesh, the worst-affected districts of the state will now have toxicology tests carried out on government employees.
Context? The districts of Namsai, Lohit, Dibang Valley, Upper Siang, Anjaw, Changlang, Tirap and West Kameng are said to be among the 272 worst drug-abuse affected districts in the country and there are reports of government employees addicted to drugs in the state.
From Perumbavoor to Guwahati
A three or four-day journey from Kerala to a state like Assam would have been unthinkable, but then again, this is the post-Covid world. Bus operators in the southern have been running daily services from Kerala's major cities and migrant hubs to destinations like Domkal in West Bengal, Guwahati in Assam and Bhubaneswar in Odisha to cater to migrant workers’ demand. For example, there are daily services connecting Perumbavoor, a major migrant hub in Ernakulam district of Kerala, with Guwahati — a distance of over 3,500 kilometres across seven states. Read about it here.
Finally, jump into the weekend with:
This Guwahati waiter’s viral dance moves!
Until next week,
Tora Agarwala
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