[Assam] Another AT letter

[Ram Sarangapani]

O' C'da,

I thought at least this letter might prove to be a bit clearer (given that
you often forward us those convoluted essays from OutlookIndia etc :)) and
you would have no problem with snippets from the AT/Sentinel :)

 >>Sir,- The ULFA militants are nothing but a small team of criminals.

>*** Okkay! So why doesn't desi-demokrasy's law-enforcement apparatus, as
>managed by Dispur, go into action, arrest the criminals, give them a trial,
convict the >guilty and if warranted, put them in prison--and if further
warranted, throw away the >keys too? Problem solved!

Hehe! So, whether the competent(?) authorities arrest or not, will that
somehow remove the 'criminal' label off the militants?

>Actually it leaves me at a loss for words. How about you Ram? What do you
think? >Are the ULFA the " sole guardians of Asom" ?

What do I think? Not that it matters any, I think they don't represent
anyone, least of all Assam and nor are they guardians of anyone.
The best way one will know if they are the true guardians of Assam is if the
ULFA throws down its weapons, and without threatening anyone, ask the people
of Assam if they do (or can) represent Assam as guardians. The people of
Assam would let them know. Issuing threats and brandishing weapons and
playing Rambo doesn't make anyone guardians.

> suggested by the obviously-not-so-bright segments of society. I can't wait
to read >HH's plan of action:

Poor HH. I understand his frustration. He understands that the ULFA has its
own agenda and looking for itself (and not Assam or it people). He
understands that the ulfa is more tied to the hip with Bangladesh and maybe
even the ISI.
So in his frustration, he seeks help from a basically incompetent GOA and a
far-removed GOI.

HH suggests isolation, united condemnation etc. etc. He might get some
united condemnations from the people. There was wide-scale protests by many
organizations when the ULFA isolated and killed
70 odd, dreaded Bihari (Hindi speaking) brick layers.
But as far as getting rid of a group that attacks soft targets and then
vanish will be hard thing to accomplish.

Bringing in a 'surge' of troops will not do the trick. 'Peace talks' are
just sops to ease an anxious population - nobody is interested in peace
(except those affected by the violence and interested in Assam's
development).

This letter and others like this - may tell us one thing though - common
people in Assam are absolutely fedup with the violence.
Years ago, these same people did not have the courage to write against
insurgents so openly, today they do - inspite of threats and violence that
continues. Could it be that the writ of insurgents don't run as deep as it
did before?

C'da, even you would agree, there seems to be a change in peoples' attitude
toward insurgency (inspite of the GOI,GOA, army etc). People want peace, not
'pie in the sky' dreams, they don't like to see people being killed left and
right, they would like to see Assam progress, and not be tied down to
insurgency forever.

And it really does not matter whether or not the GOI/GOA etc are able to
provide a solution.

The casus belli in all this is ULFA's violence, and against it own. people.
All that the common people know is that there is violence and they are bang
in the middle of it. So if the ULFA cares so much for its people, they
should shun violence against its own people.

 --Ram




On 2/3/07, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>  Ram, Ram, Ram!
>
>
> I wished I were a shrinkologist too, like Tilok Daktor. So much to analyze
> but so little time. But let me play 'baam-shrinkologist'( wannabe-shrink)
> here and take a stab at H. Hazarika's laments and see if we have something
> to learn:
>
>
> >Sir,- The ULFA militants are nothing but a small team of criminals.
>
>
> *** Okkay! So why doesn't desi-demokrasy's law-enforcement apparatus, as
> managed by Dispur, go into action, arrest the criminals, give them a
> trial, convict the guilty and if warranted, put them in prison--and if
> further warranted, throw away the keys too? Problem solved!
>
>
> I can imagine why HH could not think of it. But did the question arise in
> your mind Ram; you the devotee of democracy in one of the best developed
> democracies of the world? And if not, what were YOU thinking?
>
>
>
>
> >Suggestions are coming from some people to have direct negotiations with
> them for bringing back peace >and normalcy in the State. Do they think these
> handful of ULFA criminals whose Commander-in-Chief lives >in Bangladesh
> majestically, are the sole guardians of Asom?
>
>
>
>
> *** I am not equipped to answer this check-mate of a question Sri Hazarika
> raises. Actually it leaves me at a loss for words. How about you Ram? What
> do you think? Are the ULFA the " sole guardians of Asom" ? I can imagine
> HH is throwing this mother-of-all-rhetorical questions at us, the feckless
> readers, knowing full well the answer would have to be NO.  Very  SLY, this
> Hazarika gentleman.
>
>
> But now what? That is what is confounding me.
>
>
> I read:
>
>
> >"It is high time, Governments both in the State and the Centre, should
> not remain silent spectators of what >has been going on in the name of
> struggle for achievement of sovereignty."
>
>
> *** Will I be wrong to conclude here that SINCE the aforementioned band of
> criminals is NOT the SOLE guardians of Assam, GoI and GoA ought not to
> remain silent spectators? Help me Ram, please! Ordinarily I would not have
> done this, but I am asking you, only because you indicated that you
> understood what HH tries to convey. No doubt it takes special empathy to
> connect with the subtleties embedded obvious only to kindred souls.
>
>
> The cause and effect delineated by the writer leaves this 'odhom' reeling.
>
>
>
>
> >In fact, the ULFA members have engaged themselves in unlawful,
> unpardonable and shameful >heinous-activities which should not be allowed to
> continue any more.
>
>
> *** Isn't that the truth? My only question is HOW? The police has not been
> able to control the small band of criminals. Indirectly Hazarika has ruled
> out direct negotiations by the govts. suggested by the
> obviously-not-so-bright segments of society. I can't wait to read HH's plan
> of action:
>
>
> > So the government as well as the peaceloving people of Asom should
> unitedly condemn ULFA and isolate >them for good from the peaceloving
> Asomiya society to save Asom from the clutches of the traitors, and no >one
> should think for any negotiation with them unless and until they
> unconditionally apologise for the >misdeeds committed by them one after
> another.
>
>
> *** Sooo! Condemn and isolate them traitors? I'll be danged!! The answer
> was dangling in the air right in front of our eyes, but couldn't see it.
> Could you Ram? Did you see it too? I'll have to call Tilok Daktor to see if
> he knows someone who can check my vision out. I might need some coke-bottom
> glasses to see these shining bits of wisdom floating around us, only my ilk
> can't see them!
>
>
> That must be the answer then, huh? What do you think Ram?
>
>
>
>
> >From their unlawful activities, it is very much clear that these ULFA
> militants are no doubt agents of the ISI >and are consistently planning for
> annexing Asom with Bangladesh for their own personal interests.
>
>
> *** Oh, mercy! Double trouble here --if things were not bad enough
> already, agents of the omnipresent and omniscient ISI too. Are we in deep
> doo-doo or what Ram?
>
>
> >Perhaps this author is clearer in what he/she is saying. :) :)
>
>
>
> *** Perhaps! PERHAPS indeed.
>
>
> Take care Ram. And next time you share some such gems from the pages of
> these Assam rags, I hope you will at least read it once. So far you have
> been batting 0-3 or 4 or 5 I think with these forwarded letters. Pardon me
> the baseball metaphor, but it is not good for your batting average Ram :-).
>
>
> c-da
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 9:03 PM -0600 2/2/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
> Dear C'da,
>
>
>
> Here is another letter from the AT. Perhaps this author is clearer in what
> he/she is saying. :) :).
>
> I agree, the first letter was a tad difficult to understand.
>
>
>
> --Ram
>
>
>
>
>
> Sir,- The ULFA militants are nothing but a small team of criminals.
> Suggestions are coming from some people to have direct negotiations with
> them for bringing back peace and normalcy in the State. Do they think these
> handful of ULFA criminals whose Commander-in-Chief lives in Bangladesh
> majestically, are the sole guardians of Asom? It is high time, Governments
> both in the State and the Centre, should not remain silent spectators of
> what has been going on in the name of struggle for achievement of
> sovereignty. In fact, the ULFA members have engaged themselves in unlawful,
> unpardonable and shameful heinous-activities which should not be allowed to
> continue any more. So the government as well as the peaceloving people of
> Asom should unitedly condemn ULFA and isolate them for good from the
> peaceloving Asomiya society to save Asom from the clutches of the traitors,
> and no one should think for any negotiation with them unless and until they
> unconditionally apologise for the misdeeds committed by them one after
> another. From their unlawful activities, it is very much clear that these
> ULFA militants are no doubt agents of the ISI and are consistently planning
> for annexing Asom with Bangladesh for their own personal interests. -Yours
> etc., H HAZARIKA, RG Baruah Road, Guwahati.
>
>
>
>
>
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