On edge, rushing to cast their vote

On edge, rushing to cast their vote

• B.V.S. BHASKAR

These people feel they won’t be shunted out of India if they exercise their franchise

Sobahan Ali and Diwan Jubbar Ali have taken a short break during their one-month training programme which they are imparting to tribal youths in the thick forests of Maredumilli in the Rampachodavaram Agency area in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh from April 1. The duo was seen at the Rajamahendravaram railway station on Saturday to board the Guwahati Express to exercise their franchise in the second phase of polling in Assam scheduled for April 11.

The two, along with their head, Prabhat Saikia, have been training in making cane and bamboo articles at the Maredumilli Youth Training Centre for the last eight days, attended by 50 men and women. “We came here on the invitation of programme coordinator of an NGO and told her that we have to take break to exercise our voting right. If we are not going to exercise our franchise, we will lose our voting rights and then will be sent across the border, which is only about 3 km from our village,” said Mr. Jubbar Ali.

The two are from Sarthebari Tehsil of Barpeta district in Assam, which is about 3 km from the Bangladesh border.

“The BJP’s election slogan to push Bangladeshis living on Indian soil out has become a taboo for those living on the border villages of Sarthebari, Kayachuchi, Barakapala and Bayaskuchi,” said Mr. Jubbar Ali. The livelihood of people living in Sarthebari Tehsil, according to Mr. Sobahan Ali, is making historic Assamese bell metal artistic designs, bamboo and cane articles and exporting them to the international market.

“Most of the Assam youths are fed up with the Tarun Gogoi government. At the same time we are so cautious about Narendra Modi’s promises and implementation of the same in the last two years in other States,” said Mr. Jubbar.

They say money and muscle power in the Assam election is comparatively less than any other State, but border issues and insecurity feeling are more. About their return, the duo said that: “Though it is not our pre-condition, the organisers allowed us to take a break for five days. We will be back on April 14.”