Editor,
I would like to share with your readers the following lines taken from an article written by Nanini Chatterjee titled, “A time to engage” published in the TELEGRAPH on 20th March 2017.
“For one…….Electoral mandates in the first- past- the- post system always exaggerate victories but no ruling party in India has ever got even 50 per cent of total votes polled. Rajiv Gandhi with his 400 plus seats in 1984 came closest with 49.10 per cent. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP managed its best ever performance, winning 312 seats with less than 40 per cent of the vote………The Election Commission data shows that a total of 86,657,529 men and women voted in the seven-phase election this year. Of these, 34,403,039 voted for the BJP _ which means 52,254,490 voters did not……they are not a mere statistic, but flesh-and- blood human beings, over five crore of them, who chose not to be swayed by Modi’s magic or moved by communal feelings.
Second………..When Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi won big mandates, Modi did not lose faith in his RSS ideology, he did not give up politics, he did not surrender to the Congress’s ( and Constitution’s) ideals of secularism and plurality. Even when the BJP was down to two seats, Modi and his brethren soldiered on determined to rebuild their party in keeping with their own ideology, however divisive others might find it to be. Today, it is the turn of the Congress and all other parties opposed to the BJP to show the same resilience, patience and energy to build a vibrant and creative alternative to the RSS’s blueprint that Modi and Adityanath are out to execute.
Third, there is much more to democracy than elections and legislative majorities. Even outside the realm of politics, battles need to be fought every day in every space to safeguard small freedoms, ensure peace, secure justice. Despair is an indulgence engaged citizens cannot afford”
Yours etc.,
Michael N. Syiem
Via email
FB Post-‘Thad Madan’
Editor,
Social media has gone viral in the past few days through the confession of a lady who is allegedly a commercial sex worker and her claims and the identity of her clients and agents. The cyber crime department has to bring to the light with a justifiable reward all those involved in this flesh trade that has shaken this city. We may be building castles in the air if we hope to unveil the proof in the humbug of truth or lies created by this unidentified person. Let us not judge the book by its cover but rather learn to read the reality deeper. Firstly, commercial sex is an informed choice made by both client and the one who solicits sex on payment. No one has been forced into the profession. The question is how the lady is ready to expose her clients but keep her identity secret. Since the woman has claimed a certain person as the father of her child let a DNA test be conducted to prove the paternity of that child by following all the procedures and necessary information. Then the culprits would not get a chance to escape from due responsibility. However, there are a lot of grey areas yet to be revealed. If a victim of prostitution is a minor then the police have a case but what if the victim is an adult? Those running the sex racket of course have to be punished.
Our conscience may not be at peace if we remain silent when exploitation of women and children is not stopped right away to bring justice to the innocent and for the corrupt culprits responsible in this racket to be arrested. Let the law take its course without politicising it by being impartial to anyone. There should not be any misuse of power or money to cover the misdeeds of those running the sex racket. It is also a lesson to all that in the name of poverty we should not let easy money and illegal means degenerate the dignity of a human being. The FB site ‘Thad Madan’ posted few days and over which the son of Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh was accused of being the father of the woman’s child who posted the Facebook Post as appeared in your paper on Tuesday is a political gimmicks. It is an attempt to tarnish the name of many people by hook or crook perhaps by some disguised culprits. Let us not spoil the decorum and dignity of politics by taking advantage of fake posts on social media. It is high time for us as responsible citizens to save our jaitbynriew by giving voice to the voiceless and eradicate all these evils that threaten to destroy our peaceful co-existence in the society.
Yours etc.,
Evarist Myrsing
Shillong-17
Attacks on journalists
Editor,
It is indeed worrying to see that the attacks on journalists have increased both in frequency and brutality. The high percentage of journalists losing their lives while covering politics and corruption, reflects poorly on the law and order situation. Women journalists, in particular, are frequently threatened with rape and acid attacks. The Gauri Lankesh murder has sent shock waves through the media, with many slamming an attempt to silence voices of dissent. Unless the nation wakes up together to reform and strengthen our institutions, like the police and judiciary, such attacks will continue and our basic fundamental right to state protection will remain unfulfilled. We need to address the problem of impunity in murder of journalist to ensure that the press can work freely.
Yours etc.,
Vinod C. Dixit
Ahmedabad – 15