Nov. 30: Vote and vote right is the message that the Purbottar Hindustani Sammelan, apex body of Hindi-speaking population in the Northeast, sent its members on eve of the municipal poll.
The organisation top brass sees in tomorrow’s polls an opportunity for its members to prove that they are part and parcel of the state and has as much stake in its future as any other voter.
According to the sammelan, there are over 60,000 Hindi-speaking voters in 60 wards of the capital city. For the first time since 1995, the Hindi-speaking population has a decisive say in 10 of the 57 wards going to the polls tomorrow.
Candidates have visited the Bihari-dominated areas to allay the people’s fears after two days of intimidation, assault and arson against members of their community by vested interests right under the nose of Dispur. However, the city’s intelligentsia, social activists and students rallied for peace and the situation is now almost normal.
Bootnath, Kumarpara, Fancy Bazar, Athgaon, Pandu, Tarun Nagar, Paltan Bazar, Beltola, Pilinkata, Paltan Bazar, Sarebhati, Ulubari and Rehabari have a considerable Hindi-speaking population.
Sammelan president Rajendra Prasad Singh said they have exhorted their members to exercise their franchise as they have as much stake in the future of the state as any other voter.
“We have appealed to our members to cast their vote without any fear to prove that we are part and parcel of this state and have a stake in its future. We have to forget the unrest as a bad dream and move on. By exercising our franchise we will be sending the right signals,” he said from his Makum residence in the worst-hit Tinsukia district.
The appeal assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the attacks on the Hindi-speaking population in the state. The unrest was triggered by the attacks on train passengers from the Northeast in Bihar in retaliation to the assault on candidates from Bihar appearing for a railway recruitment test in the city on November 9.
Over 56 Biharis have been killed and thousands displaced over the past few days. Sammelan secretary S.P. Rai said the organisation has urged its members to vote for the right candidate.
“Since we are an apolitical organisation we cannot ask the people to vote for any particular candidate. However, we have urged our members to cast their vote in favour of candidates who have a vision, who can ensure peaceful co-existence of all communities and will work for the development of the city. After all, we, too, have to live and die here. A well-planned, peaceful and prosperous Guwahati will be in the interest of all,” he added.
Reacting to the situation, Singh observed, “There are over 30 lakh Hindi-speaking people in the region. Then there is a huge floating population. In Assam, we have Biharis who have lived here for generations and have nothing to do with Bihar. Many of them have played a key role in the development process. The prevailing unrest is a concerted attempt to break the age-old Assamese-Bihari ties. We have to join hands to foil the evil designs of these vested forces.”
