GUWAHATI, July 24 � A round-table conference, organized recently by the Institute of Social Change and Regional Development, Guwahati, on the �Relevance of Regional Politics in Assam�, unanimously called for a change in the �policies followed by the Union government in the name of economic reforms, which were actually serving the interests of foreign capital and the multinational companies and big business houses.�
The meet was chaired by Dr Shiela Borah and Ajit Kumar Bhuyan.
A large number of teachers, researchers, lawyers, journalists and personalities, including Prof Deven Dutta, Dr Krishna Gopal Bhattacharjee, Dr Akhil Ranjan Datta, Dr Apurba K Baruah, Dr Manorama Sharma, Pankaj Thakur, Prasanta Rajguru, Ratneswar Basumatari, Dr Prasenjit Biswas, Dr Jyotirmoy Pradhani, Dr Binayak Datta, Pankaj Jyoti Gogoi, Priyanka Sharma and Arup Barbara, participated in the conference and dwelt on the present situation in the country arising out of crises of identity and stunted economic growth of the smaller nationalities and ethnic groups.
The participants arrived at a consensus that the policies followed by the Union of India in the name of economic reforms were actually serving the interests of foreign capital and the multinational companies and big businesses.
Pointing out that backward areas, like Assam, inhabited by the smaller nationalities and ethnic groups were bearing the brunt of such policies, the participants felt. Only �a meaningful pro-people regional politics can change the situation for better,� they added.
The participants also decided to place before the people of Assam the following resolutions to facilitate a public debate.
Resolution 1: Since politics of�State�domination�and exploitation�have�led to a situation of inter-community conflicts and also impoverishment of the common people of the smaller communities, regional politics needs a platform with equal participation of all small nationalities/communities of the State. The creation of such a platform should be the immediate priority of the progressive forces of regional politics. Such a regional politics must develop a culture of struggle on progressive lines based on a definite agenda for protection of the rights of the common people of the small communities and the regions inhabited by them.
Resolution 2: Such a regional politics, committed to balanced and just development of the common people of all small nationalities and communities, must�assure the small nationalities of�their cultural security.
It must stand firmly away from the politics of chauvinism, cultural domination/expansionism and undemocratic path of uneven development.
Resolution 3: This politics must prioritise the democratic values of�integrity in�public life, clean political image of the leadership, commitment to public interest, gender justice and cultural tolerance. Only such regional politics will be able to facilitate the solution to the problems of contemporary Assam.
The participants called upon the democratic and progressive sections of the people of Assam to consider the above and effect a change in the discourse of regional politics so that the interests of the people of various communities can be protected from the onslaught of centralization and the politics of subjugation of the small communities.
