Island paradise for vote-seekers

nearest town and police station of Chayagaon, this riverine island is cut off from the rest of the world by the swirling waters of the Brahmaputra. And if it wasn’t for two boatmen — Ismail and Jabbar — the place may well be non-existent for outsiders.

The only government engine-boat has been lying idle for the past several months, and even Kishore Thakuriya, the circle officer of Chayagaon can’t make it budge. The two or three trips to Balagaon made during the preparation of the electoral rollswere possible only with the help of the indispensable Ismail-Jabbar duo.

Hanu Dewani however is least bothered. "I may not be an official village headman, but the government by and large depends on me for everything," he declares.

Which is not much considering that the only primary school in the village barely functions — the teacher stays 12 km away, turning up once a week at the most. The nearest hospital and police station are in Chayagaon, two hours by boat, the journey subject to the whims of Ismail and Jabbar.

The only modern appliance — a telephone — remains out of order most of the time. The villagers rely mainly on Hanu Dewani for information.

Says Jamiruddin, a 70-year old cultivator, "We must know of the bandhs called by different organisations. We have to take our agricultural produce to Chayagaon or Guwahati."

The votes in Balagaon, or for that matter for every other char, be it Aloopatti or Sialmari, Suntola or Bhelengimari, are precious. "The char-dwellers vote according to thedecision of their respective dewanis. Where can you get such excellent vote banks?" says Shamsul Haque, president of the All-Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU). "The char dwellers are exploited beyond imagination.The political parties want that they should remain illiterate, so that they can catch their votes en bloc through the dewanis," Haque points out.

The AGP-led government incidentally was the first to begin a survey of the char land, but that too has remained incomplete. The Char Areas Development Authority it constituted is alleged to have spent its allotted Rs 1.10 crore to pay the salaries of its employees.

"Look at this tube-well. The government installed it, but I have to repair it with my own money," says Hanu Dewani.

The younger generation, of whom some have reached college, wants the dewani system to be abolished and replaced by the Gaon-Burha (official village head-man). "But nobody is interested. While the dewanis resist it, the authorities do not want it at all. The votes areprecious," said Sukur Ali, who goes to Chayagaon College.

"The government recently launched a land patta distribution programme for the char-dwellers, but the only function that has been held so far was in a place near Hajo which cannot be called a char. It was a river-bank village," complains Haque.

Luckily, the elections have come within two years, otherwise they (the leaders) would not have come for another five years," says Sukur Ali.