Tea tribe bodies lash out at AGP, AASU

GUWAHATI, May 6 – Different tea tribe organisations and the Congress today lambasted the AGP and the AASU over the AGP’s poll slogan at Dibrugarh urging the voters to “elect Sarbananda Sonowal if they were Assamese,” and gave the two an ultimatum to clarify as to who were the Assamese by May 10.

“The AGP and the AASU, by their shameless act to further their narrow political interests, have struck at the very core of the composite Assamese society. The tea tribe people have been living here for over 150 years, assimilating totally with the Assamese culture. And now all of a sudden, they are being dubbed as non-Assamese,” said the tea tribe leaders while addressing a press conference today. Those who spoke included Etuwa Munda, convenor of the INTUC Legislature Forum, Bhagirath Karan, president, APCC (Tea cell), Ramnath Suri of the ATTSA, David Horo of the AASAA, Sumersing Gaur of the ACMS, and Akan Mahato of the TTYA besides PWD Minister Sarat Barkataki.

Karan said the tea tribes and the Adivasis have stood by the Assamese cause through every thick and thin – be it the Chinese aggression, the language movement or the anti-foreigners’ movement. “They had even registered themselves as Assamese in the census but despite all this, fingers are being raised questioning their identity and that too by a party and a student organisation that claim themselves to be the custodians of the Assamese identity,” he added.

Terming the whole episode as a conspiracy to divide the age-old bond of unity and harmony in the greater Assamese society, Karan said the AGP and the AASU must clarify their stand by May 10. The same day the INTUC Legislative Forum will also hold a meet in Guwahati to chalk out its future course of action.

Karan also castigated the AGP, saying none of its present Lok Sabha candidates had the competence to represent the Assamese people in Parliament. “Besides their pathetic lack of communication skill in both English and Hindi, they are shamefully ignorant of the history and culture of the State,” he said. Taking a dig at Sabananda Sonowal, he said he had failed as an AASU leader and a legislator, and the same fate awaits him in his bid to become an MP also.

 
 
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Subir Ghosh
Notice
The Northeast Vigil website ran from 1999 to 2009. It is not operated or maintained anymore. It has been put up here solely for archival sentiments. This site has over 6,000 news items that are of value to academics, researchers and journalists.

Subir Ghosh