GUWAHATI, Oct 26 � Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today came out strongly against any division of Assam and called upon the intellectual fraternity to take up the responsibility for uniting the people of the North East irrespective of community and ethnicity.
Speaking during the launch of two books organized by Shanti Prakashan at the ITA Machkhowa auditorium here this evening, Sarkar said he is against further division of Assam.
Terming Assam as the centre of the North East, the Tripura Chief Minister said the time has come to unite the people of the region and rise above considerations of caste, community and ethnicity.
He said the intellectual class has a major role to play in strengthening the bonds of unity by means of art, culture and literature.
Raising the issue of militancy, Sarkar said around 35-40 militant groups are still active in the North Eastern states even as their potency has dwindled in the recent years. He accused Pakistan�s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the USA�s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of having a role in the militancy in the North East.
�We have to defeat the divisive forces and art, culture and literature can play a major role in this struggle,� Sarkar said.
He said that advent of globalization has given rise to rampant consumerism and made individuals �self-centred�.
During the occasion, Sarkar released two books � Path Aaru Pathouwoi: Ganashilpi Dilip Sarmar Smriti Aaru Srishti edited by Sivanath Barman and Iman Tita Sagaror Paani by Dr Hiren Gohain.
Speaking on the occasion, Gohain said that �giving a patient hearing to criticism is a very important part of any democratic society.�
Gohain also spoke about the days of the Assam agitation and the conflict between the agitationists and those who opposed it on the matter of principle.