GUWAHATI, Sept 1 - In a significant development in the State�s history of democratic agitation, three women � all of whom are mothers � tonsured their heads in protest against the alleged �betrayal� of the State Government on issues concerning the interests of the indigenous peoples.
Mousumi Prabhat Bora (33), Geeta Barua (36) and Rekha Talukdar (38), the three women who tonsured their heads, said that they had resorted to this action to get themselves purified through an act of prayaschitta (expiation) to get over the sin they had committed by voting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in the State. They belong to the women�s organisation, Swadhin Nari Shakti.
Speaking to this newspaper, Sudakshina Bhuyan, CEO of the organisation�s child development wing, said the Government in power in the State bagged the votes of the indigenous peoples with their election plank to protect jati-mati-bheti (indigenous peoples, their land rights and their habitats). But now they have started making a mockery of the simplicity of the indigenous peoples. One of its powerful ministers, Himanta Biswa Sarma, claimed recently that they had been able to ascend to power not with the support of the indigenous peoples of the State alone.
Minister Sarma and the State Government as well should tender public apology for this comment of Sarma.
She alleged that under this Government, women and girls are not safe. This has been proved by the recurring incidents of rape in the city. On an average, three to four cases of rape are taking place in the State every day. But the culprits involved in such cases have remained free, without being behind the bars.
Again, Assamese youths were physically attacked by some Bengali businessmen recently when they went to a showroom of a Bengali businessman to collect donation for the benefit of the flood-hit people. This is because of the policies of the present Government in the State that such people could muster courage to attack the Assamese youths, Bhuyan said.
President of the ruling BJP Ranjeet Dass has even gone to the extent of insulting legendary musician Dr Bhupen Hazarika with his comment that the maestro had described Ganga as his mother. This is another insult to the indigenous peoples of the State. Dass should come up with a public apology in this connection, Bhuyan said.
On the move to name the newly set-up colleges after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Deendayal Upadhaya, Bhuyan said that their organisation views this as another insult heaped by this Government on the indigenous peoples of the State. These colleges should be named after the legendary figures of the State. There cannot be any alternative to that. If even a single college is allowed to be named after the RSS ideologue, the State Government should ensure that a college at the birthplace of Upadhaya is named after one of
our eminent personalities,
Bhuyan maintained.
