As usual, the separatist groups of Northeast India have imposed a boycott call on the forthcoming Republic Day (of India) celebration in the region. In a Solidarity Statement issued by the banned armed groups have urged the people to boycott and prevent any celebrations on January 26 in Northeast India.
The statement endorsed by Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO), Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), Tripura People's Democratic Front (TPDF), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) dictated that a general strike would be observed on January 26 starting from 1 am to 6 pm throughout the region.
“The imposition of Indian constitution in the region completes 59 years this 26th January. During this period, scores of thousands of our peoples have been killed, tortured, maimed and hundreds of our womenfolk have been raped by the Indian Occupation Forces,” the statement, emailed to the media persons Tuesday, said.
The insurgent outfits claim that ‘India has not shown any respect for the human rights, rather human values, of the peoples of the Region.’ While upholding the genuine and legitimate aspirations of all the peoples and ethnic groups of the Region, we cannot but observe that the reorganisation of the region under the constitution of India, which is actually a colonial policy of divide and rule, has created a myriad of ethnic frictions and conflicts thereby undermining the basic unity of the Region, they added.
“We will fight to the last for our sovereign independence. There can be no compromise on this issue,” the statement concluded saying that they ‘believe in a political process to resolve the conflict satisfactorily.’ But, the armed groups reiterate, they remain firm in their stand ‘to counter India's military repression’ in the region.
In another reference, ULFA has criticized Israel for the massacre in Gaza defying international appeals. The outfit, in the statement, even argued that 'the inhumanity of Israeli soldiers and the barbarism of Indian occupational forces in Asom are synonymous'. Indian colonialists are trying to ruin the national liberation struggle of Asom adopting the same inhuman process, it added.
The banned outfit, which is responsible for a number of explosions and killings of people in Assam, also criticized the media for their support to the 'colonial rule'. It argues that 'sovereignty of Asom has practical and sound base', but the 'occupational media' concealed this fact.
But defying the diktat, a group of journalists and senior citizens of Assam have decided to observe the 60th Republic Day as they had been doing in the previous years. The celebration will include the hoisting of national flag on the premises of Guwahati Press Club and also a procession in the city streets.
The Republic Day celebration last year witnessed the participation of citizens, students and journalists, who had joined both the government and public celebrations. Incredible spirit and strength were shown by the residents of the region. The citizens of Guwahati not only joined the government programme but a group of senior citizens and journalists also assembled in the press club to hoist the tri-colour. The participants in the programme also took out a procession that paraded the main streets of the city chanting patriotic slogans like Vande Mataram (the national song), Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Long live Mother India) and Jai Ai Asom (Long live Mother Assam).
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