Assam's inclusion in Bangladesh a mere fringe narrative: Pabitra Margherita

Guwahati, Jan 5: The Government of India considers the world as a family and respects the sovereignty and integrity of not only the neighbouring countries but of the entire world, said Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles Pabitra Margherita. He, however, admitted that demographic change in Assam is a cause for concern.

In an interview with The Assam Tribune, the Union minister admitted that since the time of the partition of the country, some political entities or other persons have been demanding the inclusion of Assam in Bangladesh. Even some persons living in Assam had, at one time, favoured inclusion of Assam in erstwhile East Pakistan.

"But we should not give much attention to such comments of some individuals, and we must remember that comments of a few individuals do not reflect the mood of a nation," he added.

Margherita admitted that Bangladesh is an important country for India, as it is the next-door neighbour, and people-to-people contact can help maintain friendly ties with that country. He said that the sociopolitical scenario may change from time to time, but people-to-people contact can help in maintaining a healthy relationship with any country.

Replying to a question about demographic change in Assam, Margherita said, "There is no denying the fact that the demography of the state is changing. The facts and figures that we have prove that demographic change is taking place, and this is an alarming issue."

On the chance that he got to work as a minister in the Narendra Modi government, he said that Modi is a visionary leader with strong ideology. He also admitted that by working in the External Affairs Ministry with S. Jaishankar, who was a career diplomat, he has learnt a lot in the last six months. Jaishankar is a respected man all over the world, and "whichever country I visit, people always ask me about him."

Conclave: Margherita revealed that the Government of India would organise a mega conclave in Guwahati soon involving all the stakeholders in the handloom and handicrafts sector so that a proper roadmap can be prepared to galvanise these sectors.

He said Assam has the highest number of handlooms and weavers among all the states of the country, and muga silk, which is found only in Assam, is the costliest silk in the world. The government is trying to give a platform to weavers to sell their products. But there is a need for increasing productivity and value addition to increase exports.

Margherita said ASEAN countries have a very good market for handloom and handicrafts of the Northeast, while the European countries also know about the handloom and handicrafts of the region and that market can be explored. He revealed that umbrellas made of muga and other silks are very popular in Japan.

By-

R Dutta Choudhury