Homecoming seasonnbsp;

Mahanta quit as AGP president in 2001, following the party8217;s electoral debacle, and amidst a sordid scandal of a bigamous relationship. He was expelled from the party in 2005.nbsp;The appearance of complicity with the extra-judicial killings of innocent relatives of leading ULFA leaders during his tenure as chief minister branded him a 8220;traitor8221; in AASU8217;s eyes.

The impetus for unification has come entirely from electoral considerations. Splits in the AGP have only helped the Congress and were a major factor in the AGP8217;s defeat in the 2001 and 2006.nbsp; The AGP has already come to a 8220;tactical8221; understanding with the BJP. It would like to work out an alliance with Badruddin Ajmal8217;s Assam United Democratic Front AUDF as well.nbsp;

The Supreme Court8217;s 2005 overthrow of the Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunals Act radically changed the political scene. In the past, viewing political choices exclusively through the lens of security had often pushed the East Bengali-origin Muslims to seek the Congress8217; protection.nbsp; The AUDF represents a new voice of confidence.nbsp;

The AGP has to face up to this new political reality.nbsp;Consider the alliance with the BJP. Letting the BJP keep its seats in the refugee-dominated Bengali-speaking Barak Valley strongholds may appear to make electoral sense. But it cannot help build trust among the immigrant Muslim community. nbsp;

Assamese memories of Partition collide with those in the rest of the country.nbsp; Opposition to immigration from East Bengal began in the 1930s and shaped Assamese attitudes toward Partition. Once Sylhet is separated from Assam and it becomes a part of East Pakistan, it was hoped that Assam8217;s ethno-political balance would stabilise in favour of the locals. That did not happen. nbsp;

Yet until the Assam-specific amendment of Indian citizenship laws in 1986, the Assam Movement8217;s definition of a foreigner was consistent with the legal definition of Indian citizenship. However, it is possible that in their heart of hearts few Indians are willing to accept the idea that Hindu East Bengalis are foreigners in India, irrespective of their date of arrival. The BJP is only the most active proponent of this view.nbsp;

Despite the recent talk of the security risks emanating from India8217;s porous eastern border, the country is generally unwilling to hear about the failure of Partition in the east. Labelling the border internationalnbsp;8212; and adding the qualifier 8220;illegal8221; to describe one set of immigrants 8212; did not suddenly stem the tide of poor people crossing the border. This relatively sparsely populated region, after all, was legally seen as a frontier, ie, open for new settlements, during colonial rule. nbsp;

The Congress8217;s Veerappa Moily has raised the possibility of another homecoming: that of Badruddin Ajmal.nbsp;However, the AUDF8217;s working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury says that Ajmal was never a Congressman, and that the AUDF has a distinct 8220;identity, character and ideology.8221; In the past chief minister Tarun Gogoi has resisted pressures from the party8217;s high command to make overtures towards Ajmal. His alliance with Hagrama Mahilary faction of the Bodoland People8217;s Progressive Front was an alternative strategy.nbsp; He walks a careful line between nurturing a credible alliance of 8216;indigenous8217; interests, and not losing further ground to Ajmal.nbsp;It has allowed him to retain his upper Assam base. It is not accidental that the AGP8217;s current top leaders are almost all from lower Assam.nbsp;

Electoral calculations alone cannot end Assam8217;s troubles.nbsp; Nor can Assam deal with Partition8217;s failures all by itself. But a conversation on this subject is crucial for the future of Assam, and for a viable regional agenda.nbsp;Figuring out the rules governing Indian citizenship and the cross-border movement of people is not up to Assam.nbsp;It involves not only Assam and the Northeast, but the rest of the country, and perhaps others in the sub-continent as well.nbsp;

The writer is a political scientist at Bard College, New Yorknbsp;expressexpressindia.com