By A Ghiyasuddin, TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: It has been one year since Narendra Modi ‘stormed’ in New Delhi. There were fanfare and hope. But now they feel the broken promises are too heavy. Many in the north-eastern states were extremely hopeful that the Narendra Modi government would at least settle a few issues which the previous government could not do.
“The art of speech won him many votes,” somebody rightly said. But he has so far failed to develop on many promises.
AGP leaders and workers stage protest against the BJP government for going ahead with the Indo-Bangladesh Land Agreement Deal.
There are plenty of issues on which the BJP played the game of gaining votes. If Modi had promised to solve the illegal infiltrators’ problem, the BJP government assured the people of Assam that the Lower Subansiri Hydropower Project will be scrapped for the environmental safety.
Most of the people in the Northeast appeared dejected. For many it’s the broken promises and befooling the people of the region. Some even termed the Modi government as ‘more dangerous’ than the Congress government for the NE region.
The Modi government is also a threat to the indigenous people, many felt..
“I would say there is complete opposite of what Narendra Modi had promised to the people of the state. Now, everybody has realized that it was only meant for the election and even now what the promises are being made is for the sake of the forthcoming 2016 state assembly polls. There is no holistic approach in works of development in the region,” said Assam spokesperson of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Manoram Gogoi.
He also said that the BJP’s religious polarization is another threat which the people of the state have got during the last one year.
Gertrude Lamare, a research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi who hails from Shillong, says that the Modi government has from the beginning exploited a patronizing rhetoric when talking about the North East, and promotes itself as a saviour of the region which has been disadvantaged and marginalized by the Congress administration.
“Yes, the Union Budget reveals that more money is being pumped into the region but we should also be wary of the kind of ‘development’ Modi is trying to push through. So far, there has been a flood of environmental clearances in the region, allowing MNCs as well as the Government to seize community lands to establish extractive industries and hydro-power projects. This will not only result in severe ecological damage but also gravely threatens the indigenous communities’ autonomy over their land,” she said.
Therefore, Modi’s development agenda only serves industrialists and local elites and not really the common people. This Government is hence not at all different from its antecedent, the Congress and in fact, it appears to be much more dangerous, she felt.
Assam Congress Leaders take out rally against the Modi government’s decision to reduce the central fund to the state in Guwahati.
The leadership of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Assam’s main regional party who ruled the state for the two terms, said BJP government’s intention has never been to work for the development of the region.
“On not a single instance the BJP government has worked for the betterment of the region. So far what they have been doing is for their own gain. In every aspect, they are interested in their personal gain,” said AGP general secretary Ramendra Narayan Kalita, adding, “We have been fighting to stop the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project (LSHEP) which brings threat to the environment of the region. Though the BJP had promised to help the region in stopping it but just after the election they have taken a U turn.”
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a leading peasants’ organization in the state, has also slammed the Modi government for working for the sake of the corporate. KMSS has been carrying out anti-BJP protests for various issues which include the Mega dam issue and the implementation of Indo-Bangladesh land Swap Agreement.
Activist and student of Tata Institute of Social Science in Guwahati, Abdul Kalam Azad said that removing Assam from the ‘special category state’ is a major ‘worry’ for the state. The funding pattern has been changed from 90:10 to 50:50 between centre and state for many schemes. Some schemes have been totally abolished, while allocations for some others have been reduced to half.
“This is going to be a major hurdle for the state in the path of development. If the Modi government had NE devolvement in mind such steps should not have taken. Besides, I also feel the construction of mega dam in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh might be proven ‘dangerous’ for the people of the state as per the experts’ opinion,” said Kalam.
CPI (M) take part in rally against the Modi government for the Land Acquisition Bill.
Assam secretary of All India Students Federation (AISF) Madhurjya Baruah said that there is not much difference between the Congress and BJP government.
“We have not seen anything for the welfare of the people in the policy making. No especial policy for the youth if we talk about the employment and other developments in the social sector. Besides, their worst point is the dual stand before and after elections which is a bit difficult to accept,” said Baruah.
A lecturer of Political Science in the state, Parvin Sultana said that the Modi government has failed if compared to the promises which were made before the elections.
“During campaigns Modi could successfully appropriate region specific issues at the cost of regional parties like AGP. Be it the issue of illegal immigration, land swap deal or the perennial underdevelopment of the region, his electoral rallies boomed with his commitment to the betterment of the region. But once in power such claims seemed to fall through,” she said.
KMSS stage protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Land Swap Deal with Bangladesh in Guwahati.
Besides, the statements on giving citizenship to Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh and deporting Muslim immigrants threatened to create communal polarization, their stand on Land swap deal did multiple somersaults.
“This deal was opposed by BJP when in opposition. But once in power they decided to go ahead with it. However, in a response to the party’s state unit, they decided to leave out Assam of the deal and hence seriously hamper the state’s interests. It seemed garnering votes with some populist measures undermined the genuine interests of the region,” Sultana said.
She added that the government’s u-turn on the issues of mega dams in the region is also worrying.
The border issues, immigration, D voter problems continue to plague the region with an added danger of communal polarization due to a rightwing government in power.
The BJP government has released a list of achievements in the northeast and said the region’s development has been its priority on the completion of one year.
A Press Information Bureau statement detailed the initiatives by the Railways to run the first train to Meghalaya which was flagged off by Narendra Modi on November 29 in 2014. Then it was Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh’s capital was added in the country’s Railway map.
After that the opening of Lumding-Silchar broad gauge section in Assam was another positive.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Arunachal Pradesh during a rally. (Credit: pmindia.gov.in)
The release also stated that the passenger train services will be started soon on this section. This line will provide seamless BG connectivity to Barak Valley of Assam with the rest of the country.
The report also talked of the Union cabinet’s approval of Rs 5,336 crore for a comprehensive telecom development plan for the northeast is set to increase tele-density and strengthen the telecommunication network in the region. The plan was approved in September last year.
“Modi government has given much needed push for some infrastructure projects like the upgradation of Lumding-Silchar rail line to broad gauge. It has promised bringing in the Japanese to do important infrastructure projects in the region. But by going slow on Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation (BCIM), it has foreclosed possibilities of Chinese investments in the region, even as Chinese investments are encouraged elsewhere in the country. This is unfortunate,” said senior journalist Subir Bhaumik, who covered the region for the BBC.