Dear reader,
The dates are out and at the end of the month, Assam will go to polls.
For long, politics, in this state with a diverse socio-ethnic profile, has been shaped by regionalism, primarily centring around the vexed issue of “illegal immigration” from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh.
This election is no different. While protection of indigenous interests seem to be the core issue for parties across the board, the Centre’s push for the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019 changes a few things. The elections will see a triangular contest between the BJP, as it tries to retain power, the Congress and its ‘grand alliance’ which is cashing on in the anti-CAA sentiment, and an alliance of two newly-formed regional parties as a third front, which owes its genesis to the CAA protests. Read this piece to understand the factors at play this election, and this for a little bit on what happened in 2016, explaining BJP's stunning maiden victory.
Going ahead, we will bring you regular election updates and special features from the ground in Assam.
From #ExpressExplained:
Last week, a thousand militants of five groups of Karbi Anglong district ceremonially laid down arms at an event in Guwahati in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, a development which further bolsters the ‘terrorism-free Assam’ image of the current BJP-led government. Among the surrendered militants is Ingti Kathar Songbijit.
Read this piece to know the significance of the surrender, the history of Karbi insurgency and story behind Ingti Kathar Songbijit, the militant who surrendered.
In Tripura, royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya recently announced his new political demand of ‘Greater Tipraland’, which he claims would serve the interest of tribals, non-tribals, and Tripuri tribals staying outside Tripura. In this piece, we explain the demand for Tipraland and what it means for state’s politics.
From Manipur:
In a significant symbolic development, 33 communities in Manipur pledged to work together to destroy all illegal poppy plantations and curb the flourishing drug trade. Such an initiative has been taken in Manipur for the first time, and is part of the state government’s “war on drugs” campaign.
Significance? Known for its drug menace, Manipur shares a 398-km international border with Myanmar, which often serves as an unfettered corridor for drug traffickers. Poppy is known to be cultivated widely in the hill districts, with as many as four heroine manufacturing units in the state’s upper reaches busted by security forces in 2019.
Weekend reading
We have a story from the hills Assam about a man named Sikari Tisso, who is on a life-long mission to document the Karbi language, a Tibeto-Burman language, spoken by the Karbi tribe in parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Burma and Bangladesh.
Read how Tisso, who was awarded an international honour last momth, began documenting “every word, every breath, every cough” of Karbi-language speakers, riding his motorcycle across the state.
Finally, watch:
This video from Loktak Lake in Manipur, where a 27-year-old is weaving clothes from the lotus stem.
Until next week,
Tora Agawala
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