Illegal Bangladeshi migrants fleeing towards West Bengal borders to resettle there. But they will not return to Bangladesh anyway. Bangladeshi Muslims are the main cause of Assam Riots. Pic-Reuters.
l by Swadesh Roy
(28 July, 2012, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Guwahati the capital of Indian North Eastern province of Assam is a small but pleasant town. It is as beautiful as Assam silk shari. The river Baramahaputa, many hills and forest have given it an extra beauty to this small town. If anyone would like to pass a pleasant time, he can go and stay in Guwahati for some days. An old ethnic culture and simplicity gives it another glory and it was a great amuse for me also.
However, after reaching the press club of Guwahati, within half an hour I got an essence that, there is a sentiment against Bangladeshi Bengali here. One young journalist of a daily of North East India, `Seven Sister Post’, Dipika asked me for some information about migration of Bangladeshi to Assam. Before Dipika’s questions, it was in my mind at all. We know that Bangladeshi people always try to go aboard last twenty years; but they try to go a developed country, not an area of India like North East India. They go to USA, Europe, Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia etc. Therefore, I did not think that at first it is a wage earning migration. But after a while, I remember that, there was an anti Bengali sentiment in Assam in early fifties, is it the continuation of it, but as I know, that is now a part of history. However, at night I thought several time about the questions of Dipika. Because as a journalist I know that, Dipika’s question is not an opinion of individual; she is a reporter so she wants more information. So she asked me. In the morning, I talked, with my friend Nava thakuria, a senior journalist and the general secretary of Guwhati press club, about the questions of Depika. Nava told me that, there are some political parties of Assam raise the issue at the time of election that, Bangladeshi peoples are migrating in Assam.
However, I understood that, it is a so called political issue of Assam. We know that, in our third world country there are some political parties, they have no practical issues. So, at the time of election, they raise many meaningless issues, besides that, we the people of Bangladeshi are very much used to that. Our main opposition party has no political issues; at the time of election, they raise an anti-Indian issue and depending on this issue, they go to the election. As a Bangladeshi journalist, I took the decision that, in evening in meet the press program I will try to say something on that issue. I got the chance. Many of the journalists asked me the questions about India -Bangladesh relations; it was the time of after the visit of Indian Prime Minister Monamohan Shing and four chief minister of North East India. So, they were interested about Indo- Bangla relations. I gave answer to their questions and at a stage I got the chance to say something about their so-called Bangladeshi migration issue. I asked them, why Bangladeshi people will come here? We all know that all over the world people migration depends on economy. From a low income bracket people want to go higher-income group. It is reality, so why people will come to Assam from Bangladesh? I told them, I have been traveling since last ten days in North East India; my assessment is that, though Indian GDP is near about 8 percent but the GDP of North East India is at best 4 percent. On the other hand the GDP of Bangladesh is 6.8 percent. So Bangladesh is not a low income area according to North East India. In spite of that, you are telling that, people are illegally migrating from Bangladesh to Assam. If people want to come to Assam from Bangladesh they will be the people of sylhet district of Bangladesh. I think people of Assam should know that, in Bangladesh, sylhet is the highest foreign wage earner area. A large number of people of sylhet stay in London and they are sending foreign currency in everyday. So if we calculate the GDP of sylhet individually, it will be more that 7.5 percent. That’s why it is not possible that, any economical migration from sylhet to Assam because people cannot move from 7.5 percent GDP to 4 percent GDP. It is totally absurd. Now you can tell about religion migration. A few number of religion migration or accidental migration is a reality in all over the world. But the present government of Bangladesh is totally a secular government. There is no discrimination in Bangladesh in the name of religion. In government job, in non government job- any person never fell that, he gets discriminated. They are getting promotion according to their merit. It is the present situation in Bangladesh now. There is no type of minority persecution and discrimination. So, why religion migration will be happening from Bangladesh to Assam? But it is true any special case can be happened, there are hundreds of cause for a special case. It is obvious for a neighbor country.
The journalists of Assam then replied me; they know many Bangladeshi are coming to Assam. I told them; give me the accurate figure and data. If it is right, I will publish it. They were not able to tell any particular figure and data. However, they told me that, many of their political party have told it several time. Then I asked them, why you should not ask your Prime Minister and your chief minister. They have visited Bangladesh. A series of meeting were hold between your chief minister and our several ministers. Besides that, your chief minister and your Prime minister meet with our civil society and our journalist why they not to raised the matter in any place. As a senior journalist I never heard or read that, they raised the matter of illegal migration.
Most of the daily newspaper of Assam high lights this issue that, I claimed, chief minister of Assam and Indian Prime Minister did not raise the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam. The day most of the daily of Assam published the news, that day I had an appointment with the chief minister of Assam. He is a very dynamic leader. He is three times prime minister of that province of India. But I understood that, he is little bit disappointed of my speech about migration of Bangladeshi people. At the time of conversation with him, at a stage he told me that, your information is not right, I told about this migration issues. I could understand him that, he is embarrassed for my speech so I did not argue with him. But after that, I have talked some of the Indian scholar in several times, I got the essence that, they also believed that, people were migrated themselves from Bangladesh to North east India.
We know that for a new economy and a good relation with India and Bangladesh; it is very much needed to build-up a good relation with the government to government of North East India and Bangladesh. In the same way it is very much need to people to people relation with North East India and Bangladesh. I went to silchar of Assam, the intellectual of this area want people to people relations with Bangladesh and North East India. In Guwhati the intellectuals also want with good relations with government to government and people to people. But this type of anti Bangladeshi sentiment is harmful. Not only the Assam Gano Parishad but also now the Trinomul congress (led by Mamata) of Assam is doing this.
Swadesh Roy, Executive editor, The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh he can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
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