‘The root cause of the unrest in Assam is land’

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi tells Manoj Anand that illegal migration has declined and is not the root cause of the trouble.

He believes that the principal cause of violence in the state is land and the only way out is rapid economic development. 

What is the root cause of the ongoing violence in the Bodo areas? 

It is very difficult to say anything at the moment, but the root cause of the unrest in Assam has all along been land. The population has been on the rise but the land area in the state has reduced because of erosion. In the last 50 years, more than four lakh hectares of land have been eroded.

The other reasons are backwardness and unemployment. Also, sometimes ethnic populations in the state visualise a threat to their identity and existence. So in this particular case we have seen the fallout of these fears combined with other possible causes. 

It is said that illegal migration has been the basic problem leading to violence in the area under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). What could be the numbers of illegal migrants in the state? 

I don’t believe that illegal migration is the root cause. There has been illegal migration but it is on the decline. If you see the census of 2001, population growth in Assam was three per cent less than the national average. Even in the 2011 census, population growth in Assam fell by two per cent.

I am not saying that illegal migration is not taking place. We can assess the situation by analysing the factors that encouraged migration. It was taking place for land and employment. But now Assam is densely populated. There is hardly any land left.

There is limited employment opportunity owing to lack of industrialisation. So on the ground there are no strong reasons that may attract migration to Assam. It is true that migration has not stopped completely, but it has not been on the scale it was earlier. 

There have been accusations about the involvement of external forces in instigating the violence? 

I have not seen any evidence of the involvement of external forces, though it was my suspicion all along because of the massive rumour-mongering through SMS and MMS soon after the violence broke out. In my entire political career, I have never come across such rumours and on such a scale. It was rumour that created a fear psychosis. Over four lakh people fled their homes within the state itself.

As the process continued, its fallout was visible in the exodus of the natives of the state working outside, in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and even remote Kerala. My suspicion was validated through the (Union) home ministry’s investigation. There are forces that wanted to destabilise the country and took advantage of the situation.

However, only external forces cannot be blamed. To some extent parents also made the mistake of calling up their children asking them to return . I am really grateful and would like to thank the governments of Maha-rashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka for their excellent and timely response to this crisis situation. 

What is the solution to the problem of migration afflicting Assam for decades? 

I believe that the ongoing process of preparing the National Register of Citizenship (NRC) may resolve the issue to a large extent. We also need to fence the border but complete sealing is not possible as hilly terrain and large riverine areas separate our region from Bangladesh.

Yes, we can have deterrence in place. We have been trying all along to complete border-fencing. By the way, other nations also face the problem of migration, such as the United States, which has not been able to stop migration (from Mexico) completely. 

How do you look at frequent ethnic clashes in the state? 

Yes, this is an area of concern. As you know, violence broke out during my tenure in Karbi Anglong, North Cachar Hills and Darrang (which was similar to the Kokrajhar clashes). But we have succeeded in restoring peace. 

What do you propose to do now? 

In my experience, economic growth is the solution to all these problems. Assam is a heterogeneous state. It is very challenging to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of every ethnic group. Insurgency and the presence of radical forces make the matter more complex. Our effort has been to satisfy the aspirations of all the ethnic groups through economic progress.

I have been trying all along to accelerate economic development of the state. Against all odds, our GDP growth has been 8.6 per cent, which is better than the national average. The Planning Commission has placed us fourth from the top in this respect. Insurgency is on the decline. Growing employment, development of infrastructure and expansion of agriculture have helped in containing it. 

Right now the principal challenge has to be to rehabilitate the refugees in relief ca-mps. You have missed the August 15 deadline you had set. 

I knew that it was not possible within that short span of time but the deadline was set to keep up pressure on my officers. My government is determined to rehabilitate all those Indian citizens who have been displaced in the recent clashes.

I have made it very clear that we will be rehabilitating only those who are genuine residents of the BTC. There are a number of refugees in relief camps who are not from BTC. They fled their homes out of fear.

Courtesy : DC