From chinky, momo to immigrants : More than a clerical error
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 05, 2015 -

From chinky, momo to immigrants.

Difficult to say which is more demeaning but it says something loud about the mentality of the people who have coined these words to refer to the people of the North East region.

No record on who coined the first two terms to refer to the North Easterners, but the last one has the stamp of the BJP in clear cut terms.

As per the recommendations of the MP Bezbaruah Committee, referring to anyone from the North East as chinky or any other derogatory term can invite a jail term and the natural question is what about the BJP ?

Typo, clerical error is the reason that has been trotted out for referring to the people of North East as immigrants but this sounds like a poor excuse or a joke cracked in poor taste.

Not everything should be read only through the prism of votes or elections, but about where the people of North East stand in India’s overall scheme of things.

It was a Vision Document of the BJP released in connection with the Delhi Assembly election scheduled to be held on February 7 and common sense says that it could not have been issued haphazardly without the knowledge of the higher ups of the BJP.

That it has come at a time when the North East region had just observed the first death anniversary of Nido Tania a few days back and it should be clear that the region as a whole does not figure in the consciousness of the people in mainland India.

And it is here that there arises the need to set the record straight. No political party has the right to paint the North East people in any light they want.

The BJP should understand this and this goes for the other political parties as well.

If the BJP is sincere and wants to demonstrate that the term immigrants was an error then it should have withdrawn the whole text of the document.

No point in just omitting the term immigrants for this sounds more like a desperate attempt to close the door after the horses have bolted.

The Congress has already gone on the offensive against the BJP for using the term and so will other political parties, but it should not be lost on anyone that the outbursts sound more like an election stunt than any genuine concern for the people of the region.

It is the mindset that has to be changed and not many in mainland India will be ready to remove the blinkers from their eyes.

The BJP need to seriously study why such an issue should continue to make it to the news when the country has just celebrated its 66th Republic Day.

May not be a comfortable proposition but as the party heading the Government at Delhi, the BJP need to study why the idea of India as a Nation has always refused to move east of the Brahmaputra.

A question which should be addressed far removed from electoral considerations. Wonder how the reaction would be like if any other community is referred to as immigrants.

Clerical error as an excuse sounds stupid.