The need to know why the northeast matter is trending

The online campaign was triggered by a racial slur passed by YouTuber Paras Singh via his channel. The 22-year-old YouTuber from Punjab called former Lok Sabha MP and sitting Congress legislator Ninong Ering from Arunachal Pradesh a “non-Indian” and said Arunachal Pradesh was “part of China”.

A case was later filed against Singh. It sparked a furor in Arunachal Pradesh and in other parts of the country. He was arrested in Ludhiana on May 25 and was brought to Arunachal Pradesh on May 26. Paras was booked under Sections 124A, 153, and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A Twitter storm was run on Twitter from 6 pm to 8 pm on Friday, June 4. This Twitter storm was run by North-East student groups.

The purpose of this storm, run with the hashtags #NortheastMatters and #AchapterforNE, is to include a separate chapter on North-East in the NCERT books. So that the rest of the people across the country can get to know about the history, lifestyle, and patriotism of the North East. Along with this, this storm was also run across the country regarding the incident of racism with the students of the North East. Many people supported this demand.

What is the whole matter of the people of the North-East?

Former MP Ninong Ering, who was sitting in the Parliament of the country, was called non-Indian. People of North East across the country condemned this statement and also demonstrated. After this, it was decided that a Twitter storm should be run on Twitter. In this, demand will be made to include a chapter on incidents of racism with the students of North East and on North East in NCERT.

Student unions also took part in this trend

30 student unions and organizations from across the country participated in this Twitter storm. This movement was named ‘A Chapter for NE’. So that people can get to know about the history, lifestyle, and patriotism of the North-East state from NCERT books across the country. “Racism at its peak is ignorance at its root,” stated a banner poster created as a part of the campaign. “Our history, ethnicity, lifestyle, personalities, natural resources, and patriotism have to find a place in the NCERT textbooks,” it said.

What do people on Twitter have to say?

A case has been registered against him by Arunachal Pradesh Police and he will be punished as per law. Such mindset harms the unity of our country. Union Home Ministry had already issued strong advisories to all States & UTs to ensure protection and dignity of North-East People. https://t.co/uepe5JO0Yw

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 24, 2021

People from the northeast have been facing racism for years. “Racial suppression and oppression is a thing of the past. Yet, the citizens are still facing it in modern India. This has to stop and the inclusion of a mandatory chapter is one step towards it,” read a tweet from Nagaland. “I know more about India than you. But I am less Indian than you! This disparity can only be bridged by introducing a #AchapterforNE in NCERT textbook,” another added.

People would run on Twitter, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union MoS Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju, and all the respective chief ministers of the eight states, demanding inclusion of a chapter on Northeast India in the curriculum of NCERT textbooks. It is a call to the center that Northeast India’s geography, culture, ethnicity, and way of life should be included in the educational curriculum so that they are not discriminated against on racial and ethnic lines in their own country.

The Twitterati believe that chapter can be the only solution to teach Indians about the northeast states. There were different personalities, ranging from academics, musicians, university students, and professionals across India have extended their solidarity to the Twitter storm campaign with the hashtag ‘Northeast matters’.

In May 2013, it was reported that Arunachal Pradesh was missing from the Indian political map of the class 10 geography textbook of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. Later, the Maharashtra government had to apologize for the inadvertent error. The textbook was printed by the state press, Balbharti.

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