The Assam BJP and its associated wings on Monday lodged more than 1000 police complaints against the former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his tweet allegedly excluding the northeast region of the country.

The complaints were filed by the Assam unit of BJP Youth Wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morch (BJPYM), the Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha and various other wings of the BJP at several police stations of the BJP ruled state. The police complaints have been filed against Gandhi over his spirit of India tweet from last week.

This comes at a time after Congress’ student wing protested against the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his father-son barb against the Wayanad MP. The student and youth wings of the Congress have lodged several FIRs across different states against the Assam chief minister.

In its complaint, the BJYM claimed that the senior Congress leader in his tweet had allegedly excluded the northeast region while describing India. The Wayanad MP left the northeast out of India’s geographical expanse while he talked about the country’s unity, the BJPs youth wing said.

The BJPYM also said Gandhi’s tweet is seceding them from the rest of the country and spreading disharmony, the Assam BJP alleged in its complaints at various police stations of the BJP-ruled state. Rahul Gandhi’s tweet amounts to waging war against the state, the Assam BJP also said.

The BJPYM also accused him of joining China’s agenda on the territorial boundaries of the country. In one complaint, the BJYM alleged that Gandhi’s tweet indirectly supported China’s claim that the northeast, especially Arunachal Pradesh, is part of it. The Congress party is unfortunate for India and Rahul Gandhi is India’s problem, the statement said.

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Tura Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister Agatha Sangma, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Water Resources, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the Centre’s push for mega oil palm cultivation in Meghalaya.

In her letter to PM Modi, the parliamentarian from Meghalaya requested the Central government to have a wider consultation with all stakeholders before moving forward with the decision to implement the NMEO-OP (National Mission on Edible Oil – Oil Palm) programme in the Northeast.

She also wrote that the planned oil palm farming will jeopardise the biodiversity hotspots in the Northeast by destroying its original forest belonging to local tribes and creating serious ethnic strife.

The letter followed the reports that the ruling National People’s Party, especially Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, supports the oil palm project despite grave environmental concerns.

The Union Cabinet cleared a plan under the aegis of NMEO-OP (National Mission on Edible Oil – Oil Palm) and allocated Rs 11,040 Cr.

This is being done to reduce the import of edible oil and downsize the import bill, which is well appreciated, she said in her letter to PM Modi.

The concern is generated when one peeks into the finer details of the program, the plantation areas so selected is the North Eastern Region and the Andaman Islands both of which are biodiversity hotspots and ecologically fragile. Palm plantation in all certainty will denude vast swathes of land of its forest cover. Loss of habitat for the endangered wildlife will have devastating impact.

Palm tree is not an endemic species of plant of the North East Region and large scale adoption of a foreign species of plant which is water intensive harvest will definitely create irreparable ecological imbalance and distort the ground water table.

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The other concern is of socio-cultural issue, North East India though sparsely populated than rest of India is dotted with many ethnic tribes with their own cultural heritage and practices, ownership of land is a centrality of any tribal society which is also connected to the identity, in many cases it is the community ownership. Wide spread Plantation for commercial gain in all possibility will detach the tribesman of his prized possession of land and wreak havoc on the social fabric.

Agatha is an environmentalist with a Masters’ degree in Environment from Nottingham University in the United Kingdom.

In other India News, The Uttar Pradesh BJP shared video from its official twitter handle accusing the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for backing Talibani mindset

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday praised Assam’s BJP government for its developmental work in the state. Speaking at a programme to launch various projects said that the northeast has emerged as the growth engine of the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Shah said Assam has embarked on a journey of peace and development under Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Earlier, Assam was known for agitations and violence but the states representatives have united the people of the state with the rest of the country by upholding and promoting heritage and traditions, shah said. The home minister said all militant organisations in the state have surrendered and returned to the mainstream.

Talking about the insufficiency of the opposition in the state, Shah said the earlier governments under Congress were inefficient in bringing back the youth of northeast from the path of insurgency.

Speaking at the foundation ceremony of a super speciality hospital, Shah said there was a time when separatists used to give arms in the hands of the youth in these states (Northeast). Almost all armed groups have joined the mainstream and the startups launched by youth are competing with other startups globally.

Stressing on BJPs idea of development, shah said there is a need for an ideological change in the country. He said the development is the only way forward for the party. Development is happening and will happen further but ideological change is also needed that can’t happen only through development.

Amit Shah said the Modi government kept northeast region in focus during its 6 year rule. In the last six years, PM Modi visited the northeastern states thirty times. The government is committed to develop the region.

Home Minister Amit Shah is in Assam as part of his two-day northeast visit. He landed around mid-night of Christmas at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, outside which scores of folk artistes and hundreds of supporters had created a festival-like atmosphere on his account. He was received at the airport by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

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Internet services have been suspended in Assam for another 48 hours, from 12 noon today. Train and air services to Assam and Tripura have been cancelled, following the intense protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. CAB was passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 11 (yesterday).

Assam’s additional general of police (Law and Order) Mukesh Agarwal has been transferred as ADGP (CID), and GP Singh has been appointed in his place.

Defiant crowds

An indefinite curfew was imposed in Guwahati from yesterday. People defied curfew and took to the streets in Guwahati earlier today, even as protests turned violent in various parts of Assam. Vehicles were set on fire – the houses of the BJP and AGP leaders were attacked in various parts of the state.

Police opened fire to disperse protesters at Lalungaonn area in Assam, in which some people were reportedly injured.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal appealed to the people of Assam to not get misled by the bill, and maintain peace. “I sincerely appeal to all sections of people of Assam to maintain peace & tranquility. It’s our cultural, social&spiritual tradition. I’ve firm belief that people of Assam, as usual, will maintain peace for all time to come,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the people of Assam have nothing to worry about after the CAB became an Act.

I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB.

I want to assure them- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2019

Army Deployment

Army personnel have been deployed in both the states. The army conducted a flag march in Guwahati today morning.

Thousands of anti-CAB protesters clashed with the police in Assam on December 11, pushing the state into utter chaos.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which seeks to give Indian citizenship status to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan was passed in Rajya Sabha on December 11.

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Northeast witnessed violent clashes and massive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Tripura suspended SMS and mobile internet connectivity for 48 hours, as the protests intensified. Curfew in Guwahati extended till indefinite period amid violent protests against the Bill, Assam Police said.

A Police QRT (Quick Response Team) has been dispatched to Assam’s Dibrugarh district and a total of 5,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the Northeast.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Legendary musician Bhupen Hazarika’s son Tez Hazarika has lashed out at the government over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 – a proposed law to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants, saying the Bill was “actually undermining” his father’s “documented position” and “would in reality be in direct opposition to what Bhupenda believed in his heart of hearts”.

Tez Hazarika, who is based in the US, said in a statement that he was unhappy how the centre planned to pass the “painfully unpopular” Bill which was against his father’s beliefs and position.

“I believe that my father’s name and words are being invoked and celebrated publicly while plans are afoot to pass a painfully unpopular bill regarding citizenship that is actually undermining his documented position. It would in reality be in direct opposition to what Bhupenda believed in his heart of hearts,” Tez Hazarika said.

Just a couple of days ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paying tribute to Bhupen Hazarika, had taken a swipe at previous governments for delaying the Bharat Ratna to the celebrated singer. The Modi government, this Republic Day, named Bhupen Hazarika for the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, along with former President Pranab Mukherjee and Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh.

In a statement, Tez Hazarika said: “I go on record here to answer that A), I have not received any invitation so far there is nothing to reject, and B), how the center moves on this matter far outweighs in importance the awarding and receiving of such national recognition – a display of short lived cheap thrills.”

Bhupen Hazarika’s brother Samar Hazarika shares different opinion. He said in Assam he was “not in touch” with Tez. “This award should be given to Bhupen. It’s too late now,” he said.

The maestro’s sister-in-law Manisha Hazarika agreed: “Being a member of the Bhupen Hazarika family I am saying that this award is one of the most respected awards of this nation and Bhupen Da is a legendary figure. He is above politics, so raking up this controversy is wrong.”

The citizenship Bill, one of the key projects of the government, proposes smoother and quicker grant of citizenship to non-Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years’ stay in India. However, there have been wide scale protests against it throughout the northeast.

The Bill has been listed to come up in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. It will be moved by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At least 20 people have died after heavy rain since the start of India’s monsoon season triggered floods and landslides in remote north-eastern areas.

The deaths included drowning or fatal injuries from collapsed homes in Assam state, where the mighty Brahmaputra River was flowing above the danger level, swelled by heavy rain in the past two weeks, said the state’s disaster management authority.

A government report said yesterday the flood situation in Assam remains critical as new areas are submerged due to which nearly four lakh people have been affected across 13 districts of the state. Several rivers including the Brahmaputra are flowing above danger level. Road communication has been affected at flood hit districts.

Nearly 400,000 people have left their flooded homes in 750 villages across nearly half of Assam’s 27 districts. Nearly 30,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps run by the state government. Most others were living with their relatives or on nearby river embankments or higher ground.

On Tuesday, the authority said it evacuated 400 students after their school campus was flooded in western Nalbari district, 55 miles (90km) west of Guwahati, the state capital.

Over 20,000 hectares of crop land has been damaged and nearly 900 villages are under flood waters. The flood waters have also damaged infrastructures such as roads, embankments and bridges in Barpeta, Biswanath, Golaghat, Cachar, Karimganj, Morigaon, Baksa and Nalbari districts, the Assam state disaster management authority report said.

In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh state, roads to several districts have been cut off due to incessant rain and landslides, reports Associated Press.

An Indian air force helicopter flying food supplies to remote areas went missing in the state in bad weather on Tuesday, said India’s junior home minister Kiren Rijiju. Rijiju himself had a narrow escape when his helicopter was caught in a storm and heavy rain and was forced to land in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh.

The monsoon season runs from June until September, and deadly floods occur regularly. Drowning, electrocution or injuries from collapsed houses killed at least 175 people across India during the season last year, said Associated Press.

According to the meteorological department, the area is unlikely to get any respite from heavy rains over the next five days:

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At a time when the Centre and some States are at loggerheads over ban on cattle sale for slaughter, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the Centre will not impose any restrictions on people’s choice of food. Following the assurance, given by Union Home Minister, the Qureshi Meat Traders Association in Goa, filed a writ petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking a stay on Centre’s notification over the same.

Rajnath Singh was in Mizoram to attend a meeting of the Chief Ministers of four north-eastern states to examine security along the India-Myanmar border. His comment came during a response to a media query regarding the Centre’s new cattle trading norm.

Meanwhile, in Aizawl over 2,000 people participated in the “beef-party”, organised by a local group, which coincided with the Home Minister’s visit. Many north-eastern States have already witnessed a number of protests by locals. Earlier, the Meghalaya Assembly passed a resolution against the rule.

The Centre’s dictat has faced resistance in Goa, too, where the Qureshi Meat Traders Association, a part of the civil society collective, backed by the Church and the Muslim groups in their writ petitions have questioned the “justification behind the ban on trading at cattle markets”.

“We have come together specifically for this issue as this is a direct attack on the secular nature of our country. We now feel that the time has come where we will have to meet more than before. Inter-faith dialogues will have to increase,” said Father Savio Fernandes, co-convener of the collective and the executive secretary of Council for Social Justice and Peace.

“We were quiet but now the issue affects livelihood and is an act of infringement,” he added.

Abdul Matin, representing the Muslim community in the collective said, “We were tired of their (Centre’s) silence when other state governments and chief ministers were sending letters against the notifications.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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