Newer states will make us weaker in the Parliament.

When I was growing up, one of the main political cribs of the Assamese people against the Central Government and the Parliament was that we don't have enough representation in the Lok Sabha, like the other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar etc.

It seems Assamese people have forgotten this crib.

We are getting myopic and fighting among each other demanding separation and formation of newer states, further lowering our representation in the parliament.

It is very important to understand that the definition of a state is very critical for the political parties to win the general elections as well as to run the parliamentary democracy. The reason and timing of the Telangana decision is political opportunism. The number of Congress MPs and allies elected from Andhra Pradesh had played a crucial role in the formation of both the UPA 1 and UPA 2 governments. This Telangana move was necessary because of the untimely death of chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy which has led to the disintegration of the Congress party in the state. Congress can now have a guarantee of 17 seats because of this decision.

Newer smaller states only help the centre and the bigger states. It weakens the strength of Indian Federal structure and promotes a shift towards a unitary state structure. When 42 MPs from Andhra Pradesh or 80 from Uttar Pradesh stand up to demand their rightful share in Parliament, few can ignore them.

Assam, for long, has been dependent on the ‘mercy’ of the Central government. Assam has 14 Lok Sabha seats only as compared to 40 seats of Bihar, 28 seats of Jharkhand, 80 seats of Uttar Pradesh and 42 seats of West Bengal. (Data Source: Wikipedia).

It is not without reason that AGP had a tough time doing business with the Central government. Even state Congress finds it difficult to garner enough support within the party from outside of Assam to take forward any cause for Assam. Ultimately they have to resort to the safest bet of sycophancy and 'pleasing the dynasty' strategy.

With Centre becoming more powerful, it will have an immediate impact on the tax revenue share between the Centre and the state governments. Currently, as per latest Finance Commission recommendations, states get 32 per cent of its tax revenue, valid till 2015.

It is imperative therefore that all the communities and tribes of Assam solve our problems and angst by coming to a common discussion table. We give some, take some and come to a point of understanding, and get ready to fight for larger wholesome benefits with the Central Government.

Believe me, that Indian political system is too smart for our own good. With smaller states, Assam and North-east as a whole will only lose in the political bargain.

Lets fight for an united Assam. Joi Ai Axom.

National News about Assam

There was a small media research done by a bright journalism student in Mumbai. The research was to study portrayal of Assam in the national media. It was clearly observed that 99% of the news items about Assam released or published in national media were negative.

It is no wonder that when I first came to Mumbai, people asked me if I eat dogs. The most common question was 'Is it safe?'.

It is not a surprise because all the news that reached the Indian population till date had spoken about terrorism, bomb blasts and kidnapping of non-Assamese citizens working in Government and private companies.

Today, we are giving the national news business a fun time by fighting among ourselves. The emotion behind asking for separate states, has no meaning to the rest of India. It is just an irritation for the police, bureaucracy and the political system of India. We are letting ourselves to be discussed in a bad light, with no long term benefit to Assam and the larger Assamese life.

Read the negative national news that were read in wide scale...

Four statehood demands lead to large-scale violence in Assam.
Click here to read news

Assam: Violence for separate Karbi Anglong continues, curfew reimposed
Click here to read news

If you search 'Assam' in the world's largest search engine, the following page is shown. We have to ask ourselves if Assam deserves such kind of media prominence.

The point of the argument is simple. We need not wash our dirty linen in public. We have to discuss our problems between brothers and sisters and arrive at some conclusions. Either we decide to separately stay like amicable neighbors or decide to demand the needs that are not met strongly staying in the same family.

There are enough and more ways to democratically and diplomatically discuss opinions and take public opinions on matters that are significant to the different communities staying in Assam.

In the current political context, there are provisions for reservation, the sixth schedule, 'Cultural and Educational Rights' as one of the Fundamental Right documented in the Indian constitution. There would be many more such provisions which can solve internal civil disputes.

The demand for a separate state is an extreme step that breaks the very back-bone of the state of Assam. It has long term ramifications in terms of economy, society, culture, education and brotherhood that are beyond the comprehension of our limited minds, and of the people coming to the streets demanding separate states.

We have to grow, develop and prosper as one entity. We have to fight together with all the external forces that comes in the way of development and welfare of the people.

Joi Ai Axom.