"Creating massive political awareness at grassroots needed towards achieving goal": Oken Jeet
Source: NEPS *

Guwahati, October 24 2012: Senior media activist and editor of the North East Press Service (NEPS), Oken Jeet Sandham has stressed the importance of having understanding among the various sections of Amri Karbi people in Assam in order to achieve their "goal" while keeping abreast with the fast changing global scenario.

The NEPS editor was speaking on the occasion of a "Seminar" as "main resource person" on the theme "Awareness of Political Consciousness of Amri Karbi Tribes and Their Chartered Demands" here at Rongphar Community Hall, some 15 kms away from Guwahati on Wednesday.

The "Seminar" was organized by Amri Karbi National Council (AKNC), an apex body of the Amri Karbis in Assam.

It may be mentioned that the Amri Karbi people under the banner of AKNC has been launching their movement for the "Autonomous District Council" under Sixth Schedule for a separate Amri Karbis in Assam.

Along with this movement, they have also been fighting for the inclusion of the Amri Karbi tribe in the Scheduled Tribe (Hill) list in Assam, stoppage of setting up of industries in Amri Karbi areas and also stoppage of the Guwahati City expansion work in Sonapur area.

They also demanded at least one MP from Amri Kabri Tribe to the Upper House.

NEPS Editor Oken Jeet Sandham (right) speaking on the occasion of a "Seminar" on theme "Awareness of Political Consciousness of Amri Karbi Tribes and Their Chartered Demands" at Rongphar Community Hall, some 15 Kms away from Kohima on October 23, 2012 Pudum Ingti (left), President of Karbi Amri National Council (AKNC) also seen in the picture

The leaders of AKNC and AKSU had already met various leaders of the Central Government including Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, then Home Minister P Chadambaram, INC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi etc and apprised them about their issues and also of the "dilly-dallying tactics of the State (Assam) Government on their issues." Oken Jeet, while expressing his unhappiness on the way the State (Assam) Government had been neglecting the Amri Karbi issues in spite of the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's public assurance to see that their demands were fulfilled, advised the Karbis not to be disheartened by such "unwanted development." He expressed the belief that the Assam Government would soon realize that the issue could be kept unresolved for long as it had the "potential" to destabilize the State.

The NEPS editor stressed the importance of creating massive political awareness of their issues at the grassroots level and stated that without such development, their movement would not come to the fore.

He also explained they should have the "accommodative spirit" while fighting for their cause.

NEPS Editor Oken Jeet Sandham (center seated) with leaders of AKNC, AKSU during the Seminar on "Awareness of Political Consciousness of Amri Karbi Tribes and Their Chartered Demands" at Rongphar Community Hall, some 15 Kms away from Kohima on October 23, 2012

Oken Jeet also told the gathering to learn lessons from the present political dialogues held with various underground organizations in the Northeast with the Government of India.

He said no single community could live alone and "We are interdependent and on this basis only, we can survive" .

He also talked on the importance of media and the internet which had been not only a way of life but also a "strongest weapon" for every element to achieve their goals today.

He told the leaders of the Amri Karbis to have Internet education along with the mass media knowledge without which everything would be "useless" .

President of AKNC Pudum Ingti and Advisor of AKNC Indrasore Teron also spoke on the occasion.

Leaders of AKNC, Amri Karbi Students Union (AKSU), and leaders of various mass based Amri Karbi bodies attended the Seminar.

* The sender of this news can be contacted at nepsonline(at)yahoo(dot)com .