Political Science · Ch 14 — Regional Aspirations
Movements against outsiders
Movements against outsiders
The core idea
The large-scale migration into India's North-East created a sharp divide between "local" communities and those they saw as "outsiders" or migrants. These latecomers — whether from other parts of India or from abroad — were perceived as encroachers on scarce resources like land, and as competitors for jobs and political power. This issue took political, and often violent, form in many states of the North-East.
The Assam Movement (1979–1985)
The Assam Movement is the best example of such a movement against "outsiders." It was led by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), a student group not affiliated to any political party.
What triggered it? The Assamese people suspected that huge numbers of illegal Bengali Muslim settlers from Bangladesh had entered the state. They feared that unless these foreign nationals were detected and deported, the indigenous Assamese would be reduced to a minority in their own land.
Economic grievances also ran deep. Despite Assam's rich natural resources — oil, tea, and coal — there was widespread poverty and unemployment. Many felt that these resources were drained out of the state without any commensurate benefit to the people of Assam.
The movement's demands:
- Detection and deportation of all illegal immigrants
- An end to the domination of Bengalis and other "outsiders"
- Correction of the faulty voters' register, which included the names of lakhs of immigrants
- All outsiders who had entered Assam after 1951 should be sent back
Methods and impact: The agitation used many novel methods and mobilised all sections of Assamese society, drawing support across the state. However, it also involved many tragic and violent incidents, leading to loss of property and human lives. The movement tried to blockade the movement of trains and the supply of oil from Assam to refineries in Bihar.
The Assam Accord (1985)
After six years of turmoil, the Rajiv Gandhi-led government entered into negotiations with AASU leaders. This led to the signing of an accord in 1985.
Key provision of the Accord: Those foreigners who migrated into Assam during and after the Bangladesh War (1971) and since were to be identified and deported.
Political outcome: With the successful completion of the movement, the AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad organised themselves as a regional political party called the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). It came to power in 1985 with the promise of resolving the foreign national problem and building a "Golden Assam."
Did it solve the problem? The Assam Accord brought peace and changed the face of politics in Assam, but it did not solve the problem of immigration. The issue of "outsiders" continues to be a live issue in Assam's politics and in many other places in the North-East.