Editor,
As a concerned citizen, I strongly condemn the ‘bandh’ called by the HNLC as it coincides with the Durga Puja celebrations, a religious festival of one or the other communities living in Meghalaya. This is a great shame and disgrace to our state and our community in particular! Where is the power and voice of the Government and the so called NGO’s in these situations? Why do they have to earnestly plead and beg these militant groups to call off a ‘bandh’? Aren’t they supposed to defy these militants and provide protection to citizens? What are they leaders for if they can’t solve these societal problems? Or shall we all cower in fear before the militants and make them feel invincible? I think politicians and NGOs need to be inculcated with better ideas and good sense about how to deal with such situations. But it seems to me that this bandh call is a quid-pro-quo between politicians and the HNLC. We the people look for leaders who would come out in such crisis situations but they repeatedly fail us. They only look after their own interests.
Yours etc.;
Mewan Pariat,
Shillong-2.
Any real leaders around? Speak up or forever hold your tongue
Editor,
I would like to add to the letters (ST 01.10.2014) by Kevin Pariat and Anjan Datta on the subject of leaders failing to lead at critical times. Home Minister Roshan Warjri has come out with a statement asking people to defy the HNLC banch on 2nd – 3rd October. But hers has been a solitary voice. As Kevin Pariat pointed out, UDP’s Bindo Lanong and CSWO’s Agnes Kharshiing have only made pleading noises to HNLC instead of condemning the act outright as they should have done. No strong statements against the bandh have been forthcoming from any politician or NGO. Not a single leader has come out openly against HNLC’s Facebook/ SMS style of “terrorism”. As has been the case for decades, all our leaders, including the Chief Minister are keeping mum during hours of crises. This is leadership of a FATAL kind. Are we humans or rabbits, to run for cover from text messages and Facebook posts gleefully hyped by the media? And why is the Chief Minister suddenly on an accord-signing spree with violent criminals? If pardoning murderers and terrorists is going to get us peace, then why not close down the jails and disband the police force? We could use that money to rehabilitate the murderers instead (since such type of “rehabilitation” is high on the CM’s agenda).
Yours etc.,
Leo Kharsati
Shillong-21
Non-tribals at receiving end
Editor,
The recent 24 hour bandh called by HNLC which coincides with Durga Puja is not something new for the non-tribal community who had been living in Meghalaya. It has been the history of Meghalaya to spoil and disrupt the celebrations during Durga Puja. Sometimes it is done by some crooks who function under the cloak of NGOs demanding for some kind of permit and more recently by HNLC which is led by some insensible people with infantile thought process. They just need any reason before Durga Puja to mar the celebrations and make themselves feel they have done something great. As an individual from the non-tribal community I was quite prepared for it and it did not shock me a bit. What is unwarranted is that political leaders are begging such people to withdraw the bandh. Are they so impotent that they need to beg before a militant organization to lift a bandh? But I should remind everyone that we are living in India and whether those militant organizations like it or not Meghalaya is still part of India and it will never change and no Indian needs permission from them to celebrate his or her religious festivities, because the Constitution of India has provided us with that right.
Yours etc.,
Biplab Chakravarty
Via email
Puja disruption
Editor,
The bandh called by HNCL is during puja is absolutely unconstitutional. It has nothing to do with expressing solidarity with the people killed in police firing. That is only a ruse. It’s a known fact that HNCL gets regular flow of funds from coal traders. With the sanctions on coal mining it is like cutting the cash flow tape for HNLC. Bangalore has thousands of people including Khasis from Meghalaya. Attempts by the HNLC & it’s affiliates to disrupt one of the biggest religious festival of Hindus will send a wrong signal & might lead to repercussion against the Khasi people studying and working across main land India. With the Right Wing party in power at the centre, it is matter of time before the Union Govt takes a call on the importance of the State Govt to control gun-toting militants. We have seen it all in the past when people from NE virtually ran away from different parts of India after the Assam riot.
Yours etc.,
Oscar,
Via email
Bandh: Government apathy
Editor,
Despite several pleas, suggestions and dissent from individuals on unreasonable bandh calls, the Government seems indifferent and shows no seriousness to control these negative trends that affect the public in general. As usual, the Government through the Home Minister simply exhorts the public to defy the bandh, but no measures as such are taken by Government to make the bandh ineffective. Many letters to the editor in this paper have listed their grievances and provided suggestions for curtailment of bandhs, one of which was to make mandatory the involvement of Dorbar Shnong and business establishments to open their shops and also for public transport, including local taxis to ply normally.
Any Tom, Dick and Harry can call a bandh here in Shillong and it will be a grand success due to the Government’s inability to call the bluff of bandh callers.
It is sad to see that ‘real’ politicians who care for the welfare of the State and its people like Mr R G Lyngdoh resigned from politics because it appears that politics is a dirty game. And since the present Chief Minister has won the game of musical chairs it is his duty to carry out his responsibility. The NGOs are part of the Bandh bandwagon because they resort to bandhs as a means to an end.
We are not politicians but we are the ‘voice of the people’ and politicians are meant to represent us. We are deeply concerned for the welfare of the State. We do not want our State and its people to be terrorised like people in the Islamic states.
Yours etc.,
P Diengdoh,
Shillong -8