{"id":24191,"date":"2017-04-27T16:14:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T10:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/?p=24191"},"modified":"2017-10-16T13:06:28","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T07:36:28","slug":"assam-two-new-norm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/constitutional-law-news\/special-report-news\/assam-two-new-norm\/","title":{"rendered":"Assam: Two is the New Norm"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"tdi_1\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row tdi_2  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_2,\r\n                .tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }.tdi_2,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column tdi_4  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\n\/* custom css *\/\n.tdi_4{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper,\r\n\t\t\t\t.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    display: block;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .tdc-elements{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper > .vc_row_inner{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}.tdi_4 > .wpb_wrapper{\r\n\t\t\t\t    width: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t    height: auto;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_5  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_5\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p><strong>The state government\u2019s attempt to curb the number of children its citizens can have is being seen as a move to reduce Bangladeshi settlers there. In the process, are fundamental rights getting violated? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>~By Seema Guha<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is not surprising that the Assam government is considering a new population policy in the state. With the BJP voted to power in overwhelming numbers, it was to be expected that measures would be taken to curb the growth of the Muslim population. After all, the BJP\u2019s election manifesto had promised to curb the explosive population growth of the so-called Bangladeshi settlers. Despite the fact that this kind of coercive measure has not succeeded anywhere in the world, the government is likely to soon make this a law. This policy plays to the xenophobia of the majority community, which feeds the fear of Assam being overrun by Bangladeshi immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>The draft population policy announced by health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has little regard for the fundamental rights of the citizens. The policy wants to ensure a two-child norm across the state. Those who do not abide by it will be denied government jobs. A government employee with a third child will be asked to resign. According to the draft the two-child norm has to be maintained till the employee retires.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>[vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;STRICT NORMS&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:p|font_size:20px|text_align:left&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Open%20Sans%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C800%2C800italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal&#8221;]<div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_6  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_6\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p>That is not all. The policy extends to other services provided by the state. \u201cFor employment generation schemes like giving tractors, offering homes and other government benefits, this norm will be applicable. All elections, such as to panchayats, municipal bodies and autonomous councils held under the state election commission, will have this norm for candidates,\u201d Sarma said at a news conference in Guwahati. \u201cWhile the state\u2019s population rose by 46 lakh from 2.66 crore in 2001 to 3.12 crore in 2011, a preliminary analysis has shown that it has increased by one crore between 2001 and 2017. This increase is unacceptable,\u201d he told reporters. He said the government will work with NGOs, parliamentarians and the media to send the message across. There is also a proposal to set up a State Population Council and a State Population Research Centre.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24196\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24196\" style=\"width: 1064px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/s3apnlivemumbai.s3-website.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24196\" src=\"http:\/\/s3apnlivemumbai.s3-website.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113.jpg\" alt=\"Many Assamese fear that Assam will turn into a second Muslim majority state after Kashmir. Photo: UNI\" width=\"1064\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113.jpg 1064w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Picture-113-630x420.jpg 630w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1064px) 100vw, 1064px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24196\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Many Assamese fear that Assam will turn into a second Muslim majority state after Kashmir. Photo: UNI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sarma, who also holds the education portfolio, has laced this with a progressive agenda of free education for the girl child up to the university level and reservation for women in government jobs. Ironically, the same minister, once a leading member of the Congress party, had made thundering speeches criticising the BJP\u2019s communal agenda. But the BJP and Sarma have missed the point that the best way to tackle population issues is through spreading awareness and education in areas inhabited by the alleged immigrants from Bangladesh.<\/p>\n<p>Haider Hussain, a political analyst from Guwahati, told <em>India Legal<\/em>: \u201cEducation makes a great difference, whether for Hindus or Muslims. In a college in Barpeta district run by Muslims, most of those who have got their degrees have two children. Barpeta district in lower Assam is seen by the Assamese as an area where Muslims dominate and produce many babies. Education would have been a better way to arrive at the same results.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>[vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;NO COERCION&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:p|font_size:20px|text_align:left&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Open%20Sans%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C800%2C800italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal&#8221;]<div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_7  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_7\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p>Dhiren Bezbarooah, an Assamese intellectual and former editor of <em>The Sentinel<\/em>, a leading English daily from Guwahati, had mixed feelings about the new draft policy. He is against coercion but admits that something needs to be done about the population growth of a \u201cparticular\u201d community. This rise in the population of a \u201cparticular community\u2019\u2019 is what he and the rest of the Assamese urban middle class are afraid of. \u201cI am inclined to believe that something has to be done\u2026 some corrective measures brought in to control the growth of one section of people in Assam. We fear that Assam\u2019s demography will soon change and the local Assamese will become a minority,\u2019\u2019 Bezbarooah said. \u201cSo in a way, I do support the move, though there should be no coercion,\u2019\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24197\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24197\" style=\"width: 189px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/s3apnlivemumbai.s3-website.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/picture-27.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-24197\" src=\"http:\/\/s3apnlivemumbai.s3-website.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/picture-27.jpg\" alt=\"Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants a two-child norm. Photo: UNI\" width=\"189\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/picture-27.jpg 450w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/picture-27-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/picture-27-360x420.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 189px) 100vw, 189px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24197\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants a two-child norm. Photo: UNI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many Assamese believe that there is an international conspiracy to turn the state into India\u2019s second Muslim majority state after Kashmir. Much of the fear is highly exaggerated and the RSS-BJP combine as well as the Asom Gana Parishad stoke these fears. In the late 1970s and early 80s, Assam had a massive movement against Bangladeshi nationals entering the state illegally. Students, housewives and the masses took part in the campaign to get the illegal migrants out of the voters\u2019 list. They alleged that the Congress Party had encouraged their entry, promising to protect them in return for votes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>[vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;HARD-WORKING LOT&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:p|font_size:20px|text_align:left&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Open%20Sans%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic%2C800%2C800italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal&#8221;]<div class=\"wpb_wrapper wpb_text_column td_block_wrap td_block_wrap vc_column_text tdi_8  tagdiv-type td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\"  data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_8\" ><div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"td-fix-index\"><p>The first Bengali Muslims were brought into Assam by the British. They wanted to clear the malaria-infected plains of Assam and settle Bengali speakers there as they were extremely hard-working. Their hard work turned Assam into a rich agricultural land. But few remember all this. The resentment against these settlers has remained. This was largely due to the fact that they were much more given to hard labour and gradually bought up agricultural land owned by indolent Assamese peasants. Even today, though illegal migrants from Bangladesh are a trickle, the Assamese continue to see such a person behind every Bengali-speaking settler in the Brahmaputra plains.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, despite rampant anti-Muslim sentiment in Assam, the situation is nowhere like in North India. There are no vigilante groups scouting around for Muslims and Dalits transporting buffaloes. According to Hussain, beef is openly sold in the markets of interior Nowgong and Barpeta district, mainly Muslim areas. There are reports that local Muslim youth broke down outlets where beef portions were hung out for sale. \u201cThey advised the owners not to go against the prevailing mood of the majority community and stop displaying their wares openly,\u2019\u2019 Hussain said.<\/p>\n<p>He said that the move in Assam was more against so-called illegal migrants living in the \u201cchar\u2019\u2019 areas (sandy islets formed on the banks of the Brahmaputra.) These are areas given the go-by by the local population due to the tough conditions there. But Bengali Muslims cultivate vegetables here and make a good living. \u201cMuslims in urban areas still form a part of the cultural life of Assam. During the recent Bihu celebrations, some prominent Muslims were part of the organising committee in several areas in Guwahati,\u2019\u2019 said Hussain. But this is unlikely to be followed in rural Assam where Hindus and Muslims do not live side by side.<\/p>\n<p>The divide is obviously very clear.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[602],"tags":[1673,1658,6653,79,6657,6656,1822,8,212,6654,677,6655],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/d2r2ijn7njrktv.cloudfront.net\/IL\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Lead-picture7.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24191"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}