Editor,
Apropos the rejoinder by Rahul Bajaj to W.C. Manners’ letter “New Assembly Building,” some remarks were highly contradictory. Bajaj’s concern for the growth of Meghalaya, in particular and that of India, in general, is quite opinionated and it goes contrary to the views of the great framers of our Constitution – in which it was explicitly stated that “special provisions for any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes (SC)and Scheduled Tribes (ST) were absolutely necessary, “for, the Democratic march of a nation would be impossible if those who are handicapped are not aided at the start” (Quoted by Dr. D.D. Basu, in his commentary on the Indian Constitution). It would be a grave blunder if a culturally and ethnically diverse country like India, accepted the propositions of unity, suggested by Bajaj, in which the numerically larger population is allowed to mingle freely with the minorities. History and the present-day, continually tell us of the oppression by numerical majorities against minorities. From the Americas to Australia and from Europe to Africa, instances of highhandedness and bullying are always observed. Hence, the case of the north-eastern tribes is not an isolated one and these constant reminders highlight the importance of protection of special-category communities by the laws of the land.
The framers of the Constitution have adequately foreseen the consequences of not protecting the minorities from the incessant and greed-fuelled march of industrialization and capitalism, thereby incorporating a set of permanent and temporary provisions in the Constitution, in this regard. They observed that a “level-playing field” can never be ‘LEVEL’ when a numerical advantage or disadvantage exists!
Mr. Bajaj would not disagree with me in stating that, comparatively, the tribes of Meghalaya have been the most welcoming amongst all the other NE tribes, economically, socially and emotionally! Almost all of the major business houses in the State belong to the so-called non-tribals; when the heat becomes unbearable in the plains, people flock to the Sohras and Pynurslas, to admire the natural beauty that the state has been blessed with; coal and other mineral resources invariably end up at a plant not located in Meghalaya! Yes, we have not contributed to the nation by paying taxes, yet we have more than compensated in kind and shared our inheritance unquestioningly. Why then does Mr. Bajaj question our entitlement to tax exemptions?
Having said this, I cannot refrain from stating that as tribals, we need to be far-sighted and unselfish enough to realize that our identity as STs may not last forever in this ever diminishing world and we need to strive to attain the same level of intellect and
capacity as those of the mainstream communities. Constitutional provisions should be taken advantage of and not be seen as mere freebies to be enjoyed while they last. A paradigm shift in the tribal mindset, thus, is the need of the hour.
Yours etc.,
Lamshwa K. Nongrum
Shillong-2
A correction
Editor,
Please refer to my letter, “Responsibility of a uniform- lest we forget” (ST July 9, 2013) relating to the raid by some jawans on the Madanryting Police Station. I had incorrectly identified the jawans as those of the Assam Rifles when actually they were from some other regiment. This mistake is deeply regretted and there was no intention of maligning the Assam Rifles, its officers and jawans nor its motto. The mistake is being rectified by this corrigendum.
Yours etc.,
Toki Blah,
Via email