[Assam] My Take on Why I*********** - II, A Continuation

[Rajen & Ajanta Barua]

Ram:
Please hold on, and let us not ask questions in between eventhough you may be impatient to counter with your viewpoints. Let Chandan finish.
And as Chandan says, if you want to counter, it will be better to make your counter statement as an overall response to Chandan's specific points. Otherwise, we may just be lost (again) in arguments.
We should debate, not argue.
Barua
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ram Sarangapani 
  To: Chan Mahanta 
  Cc: assam at assamnet.org 
  Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [Assam] My Take on Why I*********** - II, A Continuation


  C'da

  Will do so.

  >right after all of you holding opposite positions explain your stances :-). 

  Is this the same thing as asking someone to explain why the glass is half-empty (as opposed to why its half-full):  :):) 

  --Ram


   
  On 2/22/07, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote: 
    Ram:

     
    Hold your thoughts, make a list. You will get plenty of opportunity for question and answer time, right after all of you holding opposite positions explain your stances :-).

     
    c-da

     

     

     

     

     

     
    At 8:50 PM -0600 2/22/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
      C'da

      Very interesting take. Would like to respond, but will refrain from doing so, till you are ready for rebuttals. :)

      --Ram

       
      On 2/22/07, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:

        In the previous post I explained how the Indian system of centralized and unrepresentative and thoroughly unresponsive governance failed not only the people of Assam, but everywhere else as well.

         
        Even though this failure has been abundantly clear for decades,India never did anything about it. Why? It is MOSTLY because of the fractured polity's inability to forge the political will required for reforms,its traditional inability to deal with reality and somewhat because of being uneducated about it. The truth is that India's nationhood is mostly a facade, a make-believe, just like all its institutions of state, and its commitments. No wonder then,the  Indian establishment,just like Assam's, who have acquired a reasonable standard of living milking this dysfunctional state's largesse, is terrified of the prospects of one or more constituents, like Kashmir, or Nagaland or Assam leaving. They fear that the building blocks of Indian nationhood will be in deep turmoil and go into a tailspin, if not fall like dominoes and the guarantors of their privileged position, the State that has been practising reverse-Robinhoodism, will too, upsetting their lifestyles and their aspirations. Never mind the aspirations of the overwhelmingly vast majority of their compatriots who never got to taste their STATE sponsored well-being. 

         
        But India's stability ought not to be at the cost of the people of Assam. Let India take care of itself. It is high time Assam took charge of its own affairs.

         
        Why does Assam need to do that? Because the concept of a benevolent 'mai-baap' taking care of its colonial subjects in the periphery of its empire, fairly, equitably and to their full potential for all times to come, is an entirely untenable proposition. Even if fairness were to be miraculously imposed and wisdoms applied, it is UNSUSTAINABLE. 

         
        I reject the Assamese complaint of being treated unfairly, given the 'step-motherly' treatment and other examples of such cry-baby, 'burha-kesuas' whining. No self respecting and thinking Assamese ought to descend to that level. 

         
        Why?

         
        Because, A: It is tantamount to acceding to the concept of India's control
                    over and ownership of Assam's resources and the system of disbursing
                    a portion of it back to benefit a few; of legitimizing it.
                    It should be an entirely unacceptable proposition.

         
                B: It also perpetuates the notion that Assam is incapable of
                    making the most important decisions of its governance, of
                    planning for its future and looking at Dilli to do it for them
                    but PLEASE MORE FAIRLY!

         
                    It is a losers' proposition. Assam MUST take charge of its
                    own affairs, rise to the responsibilities of governing itself
                    effectively, planning for its own future. Dilli can never do it for
                    them.

         
        But to do that Assam must have control over its resources, and the FREEDOM to reorient and radically reform its governmental system.


        I have not missed the questions and challenges about why an independent Assam govt. will be any different from the dysfunctional Indian one that
        rules? I will deal with that in "My Take on Why I********* - III, Assam's Own Governmental System"

         

         
        cm

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