Editor,
I don’t remember if any prime minister in the past ever imbibed the rich culture and traditions of Meghalaya than the present PM, Narendra Modi. He relished them all to his heart’s content. Well, the PM’s visit to Shillong will have multiple effects across the Northeast. Our state will surely witness a major boost in the inflow of tourists. The leaders should grab all the opportunities that fall on their laps. Yes, Meghalaya can now certainly pull in a good deal of benefits from the Centre. The only thing it requires is the right approach by the state’s leaders. Modi has clearly hinted that unlike the Congress, his Government will not discriminate against any state on the basis of which party is ruling the state. It is expected that the Congress High Command, which is notoriously self-centered and far less efficient than the leaders in the state, would now stop filling poison into the brains of their juniors. The Congress which has lost a sense of common prudence should not dictate nasty terms from above that might deprive Meghalaya of central benefits.
What has shocked us in the recent past is the fact that in spite of a series of defeats in different state elections, the Congress which are due to the sheer incompetence and immaturity of the Vice President of the party, Rahul Gandhi, the Party remains blissfully unrepentant with no hint of introspection.
What a huge contradiction that Rahul even took the side of a student group in Hyderabad whose activities clearly attract serious charges of treasons. He wilfully incited the group that was condemning the hanging of a terrorist Afzal Guru, which was after all was passed by his Congress government. What is this sickness called where one who openly gets involved in anti-national activities still passionately wants to rule the nation?
Far worse is the fact that for all his obvious acts of immaturity the party members still adore Rahul and the media still glorify him as the “youth-icon” of the country. Is an idiot lad usually chosen to hold the honour of being a youth-icon in India? Everyone is bewildered. Congress has better people, intelligent leaders, who can suitably replace the incompetent Gandhi family. Sensible leaders should not let the party fall from grace this way any further. Anyway, our pristine state must not suffer due to the aberrations of the Congress high command and its lack of vision and good-will.
On the other hand the impeccably dressed PM Modi is noticeably forthcoming and genuinely loving. Our astute CM, Dr. Mukul Sangma might not have ever enjoyed such close proximity with his High Command in Delhi than with the PM Modi here in Shillong this time. It’s quite clear that the PM sincerely desires that Meghalaya should earnestly focus on tourism so that all other people of India will appreciate the rich culture and scenic beauty of this Scotland of the East. The PM has unmistakably cheered up the leaders by visiting Elephant Falls andMawphlang and taught them how to drum up for the tourists. He also showed whole world that it takes a genuine heart with patience not only to appreciate but also to go deeper into each rhyme of any culture of this pluralist India.
Let’s sincerely hope that the PM’s disarming humility, friendly mingling with the villagers and cultural troupes will surely douse the spirit of the rabble rousers. The state will surely thrive since our stoic CM will appreciate the right gestures of the mesmerized PM.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali
Shillong-2
Poor arrangement at the 5th Polo Ground”
Editor,
We were all aware that the hon’ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was visiting Shillong on May 27 to address the 65th NEC Plenary Meet at the State Convention Centre. The people of Shillong wanted to get the glimpse of the PM and to listen to the speech at the 5th Polo Ground. The security arrangement out there was excellent but the seating arrangement was too congested and the space too small to accommodate the thousands of people. There was no proper signage to direct people to the correct venue from the Polo Bazar junction. Many people were confused and entered from the wrong entry. The security personnel who were performing their duty out there directed the people to enter from the other gate but when people reached there they were told that it was an entry for VIPs only. Thousands of people went back from the venue as they could not locate the main entrance to the venue where the PM was addressing the public gathering. The people who could enter the venue could listen to the PM’s speech but the others who could not enter and remained outside were soaked in the heavy rain.
The State government failed to correctly estimate the capacity of the ground. It also failed to understand that Prime Minister Modi enjoys huge popularity here. The public reception was not well organized. It should have been done in a larger space. Or does Shillong have dearth of space here? I hope the State government comes up with a proper plan to organize future events especially when the Prime Minister of the country visits the city.
Yours etc;
Sandeep Ghosh
Shillong-4