DEMAND FOR SEPARATE HOMELAND FOR SYLHETI
SYLHETI LAND: (Sylheti: ছিলটী Silôṭi; Bengali: সিলেটী Sileṭī) is our birth right Sylheti ethnic origin in Assam and Meghalaya on the basis of ethno-linguistic rights.Now it is the time Sylheti Land movement which will gain momentum in the line of ethno-linguistic-cultural sentiment of the people who desire to identify themselves as Indian Sylheti.The mass movements for SYLHETI LAND should take place under the Sylheti Youth Welfare Association . The majority of the people are of Sylheti decent, and they speak Sylheti (Sylheti: ছিলটী Silôṭi; Bengali: সিলেটী Sileṭī).Sylhetis are in majority even wnen Cachar was ruled by the Kachari Kingdom for centuries up to 1832 when British annexed the area under British-India. The mention of this mighty Hirimba Kingdom is available in the epic ‘Mahabharatha’.The areas which should be included in Sylheti Land mainly consists of three districts namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi.
Sylheti Youth Welfare Association Stands for Separate Sylheti Homeland:
The basic point about Sylhetiland is IDENTITY and NOT DEVELOPMENT.
You should be very clear at the outset, that bringing in the talk of DEVELOPMENT in the way of IDENTITY is to DEVIATE from the core issue and to OVERSIMPLIFY and GENERALIZE the issues that the Sylhetis are trying to place before the nation.
Mixing up development and Identity is a conspiracy of the Assam Govt. to fool the people, resulting in more intensification of existing crisis.We rationalists should not take the faulty logic of the ruling clique and get trapped in rigmaroles.
Nevertheless, development or the lack of it is one reason for people’s hatredness against Assam’s Govt.will lead to rebellionin future.And most people who do not support the cause of Sylhetiland are now talking about non development in Barak Valley. Is it that all other places are highly developed except for Barak Valley?
But I wonder what development has there been in Guwahati except for adding the lesser used Saraighat Bridge to the colonial legacy. What development has there been to other parts of Assam after the British left?And why is it that there is no demand for a separate state in Bodoland, NorthCachar, Kamtapur and Karbi Along etc., if it was just due to non development?
And that development is not the panacea for identity movements has been proved beyond doubt in Tibet where large scale development by the Chinese could not undermine the peoples’ aspiration for self respect and self esteem.
And the Indian Independence movement was, at least, not due to the lack of development.
Thus it is futile to prove that lack of development in the Sylhetiland area, is the cause of this movement. Proving it is the work of the conventional intellectuals and the cunning politicians.
Therefore, my request to you is that please do not bring in the issue of non development to the cause of identity and unknowingly confuse the whole movement for the emancipation of the Sylhetis.
The proposed Sylhetiland movement is a search and a fight for this lost IDENTITY.
Only a separate STATE can give them this IDENTITY and nothing less.
So now it must be very clear that The Sylhetiland Movement is neither a fight against Assam nor is it hatred against Assamese. Once the STATE OF Sylhetiland is formed, no other INDIAN can call the SYLHETI a FOREIGNER. The IDENTITY of the Sylhetis as Indians will become secured.
Therefore the Agenda of the Sylhetiland movement is only IDENTITY and not DEVELOPMENT.
In that sense this movement is different from other movements for separate states. Telengana, Vidharb, Bundelkhand etc are a case for DEVELOPMENT, but Sylhetiland is a case for IDENTITY.
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However I give you some cases of non development:
# When the British left there were 180 tea estates in Barak Valley, now only 103 are
left including some which are closed.
# In Barak Valley there is presently 18 tea gardens locked -out and in these some 30 thousand workers are jobless.
# The wage of a labour in Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi is the lowest in the country.
Tamilnadu Rs.101/-,
Kerala Rs. 92/-,
Karnataka Rs. 92.85/-
Cachar- Karimganj-Hailakandi Rs.60.00/-
(These are inclusive of fuel and rations of poorest standards).
It is below the minimum wage of Rs.100/- .
# The Government run Tea Plantations which employs thousands of people is on the verge of extinction, there is heavy corruption, and the authorities are conspiring to sell it to the Private Company.
# During the British Rule five to six mail and passengers trains used to go up and down Lumding – Silchar, and the whole night goods trains used to run in the narrow gauge line. But now there is only one train with 3 compartments that runs between the two stations.
# Almost all the ropeways constructed by the British, an easy way of transport and employment, which carried goods to far flung areas are now defunct.
#Haflong was part of Cachar Parliamentary constituency, it was cut away and Dima Hasao with no Sylheti population was attached to this constituency. This was done by Gopinath Bordoloi. His intention was criminal, as the Sylhetis could not send an MP on their own, they had to depend on the Assamese Ruling class’s whims and politics which always was detrimental to the interests of the Sylhetis.
# Drinking water problem is world famous.
# Although many departments were given to DRDA, it had no recruitment powers, which led to the unemployment of the educated individuals.
# Roads are always horrible.
These are some of the things which, I as a rationalist have been able to make some sensible people understand.
-Mintu Dhar , Vice-President of Sylheti Youth Welfare Association
sylhetiyouthwelfareassociation 