Editor,
Apropos the news item, “Conrad in denial mode on illegal mining” (ST Nov 16, 2018), one wonders how the Chief Minister can keep on denying that illegal coal mining is going on in the state. He and his Government might not have carried out illegal coal mining but others have done and are still doing it. This is proved by the fact that every now and again the police have seized coal laden trucks at various parts of the state which are also regularly reported in the media. Even the CSWO members, who were assaulted on November 8 last, witnessed that illegal mining is still being carried out by the miners at Tuber Sohshrieh. Even Justice Katoki and team who went to inspect the coal mine areas of Jaintia Hills on behalf of the NGT found freshly extracted coal. Then on Nov 15 at around 3.30 am police seized four coal laden trucks at Lad Umsaw, Ri Bhoi District. Earlier the CSWO leader, Agnes Kharshiing and her colleagues found five coal laden trucks parked at Mawiong from which they got valuable inputs about coal being illegally mined. Even in West Khasi Hills and Garo Hills media have frequently reported of trucks carrying coal to Assam. Now, where do the trucks get coal to carry if not from illegal mining? For how long can the CM keep on denying this fact when circumstantial evidence proves the point? Is the CM not making a fool of himself by denying an undeniable fact? Is he not lying to the public? What he should have said was that his Government would deal strictly with anyone found violating the NGT ban on coal mining. Again, what he should have said was that his Government is not sitting idle on the coal ban but is doing its best to deter illegal coal mining by arresting violators of the ban and for illegally transporting coal.
Yours etc
Philip Marwein,
Via email
Why Rahul Gandhi is not acceptable as PM?
Editor,
What is common between Rajiv Gandhi and his son Rahul Gandhi is that both have powerful mothers? Indira Gandhi had made the biggest blunder by conducting “Operation Blue Star” by invading and desecrating the ‘Golden Temple’ that alienated the Sikh community in gross violation of Article 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice of and propagation of religion) of the Constitution of India). She had created Bhindranwale, who slipped out of her grip and boomeranged as a Frankenstein. Scared of loosing vote bank of the major minority community she did not have the political will to conduct “Operation Green Star” and the country is now threatened by separatists and terrorists for another partition and re-enactment/action replay of great Calcutta killings. Rajiv Gandhi made bigger blunders than Indira and Sanjay combined. Although Indira Gandhi was called a dictator the media couldn’t whitewash her doings. Even Sanjay Gandhi had given enough reasons to be called out. But Rajiv Gandhi’s blunders trump theirs by a wide margin. He destroyed the social fabric of India.
Rajiv Gandhi was against minorities of minorities. A poor 62-year-old Muslim woman went to the court seeking Rs. 200 as monthly allowance from her husband, to support her 5 children after he triple talaq-ed her. Even the Supreme Court ruled in her favour. Rajiv Gandhi passed an ordinance which was ratified in Parliament by a retrogressive amendment of the Constitution to appease the conservative clergy. The infamous Shah Bano case is the classic text book example of vote-bank appeasement and anti women-empowerment mind-set.
If clergy appeasement wasn’t enough, Rajiv went ahead and became the architect of the worst Hindu- Muslim clashes this country ever witnessed. He was instrumental in opening the locks of the disputed Babri Masjid which was shut down since 1949. The event was telecast live on Doordarshan. This was perhaps his trick to win Hindu votes. The decision led to widespread protests, and later in 1992 the Babri Masjid was demolished and eventual riots happened in Mumbai in 1993. The 1984 state-sponsored anti-Sikh riots was the biggest pogrom in the history of India under Rajiv’s leadership. Official government reports said that 2,800 Sikhs were killed across India, including 2,100 in Delhi. And, some independent sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000. The Sikh genocide sinisterly designed and perpetrated by Jagdish Tytler, Ajay Maken, and Sajjan Kumar was an inhuman, unpardonable act. And yet Rajiv Gandhi was decorated with “Bharat Ratna” posthumously. Rajiv Gandhi’s political immaturity is the sole reason behind the Kashmir fiasco. Against popular belief that Kashmir issue started right after India’s partition, the truth is that it was a fairly peaceful state till as late as 1987. The Congress party under his leadership reportedly rigged the 1987 Assembly elections to favour its ally-National Conference. This led to the rise of Mujahideen and the beginning of the violent phase in the Valley.
Rahul Gandhi is the exact replica of his father. Both father and son are drop-outs of foreign universities, both of them have limited political experience, and both were given the privilege in a silver platter. They are pampered by media, their flaws have been overlooked, and their achievements overstated and hyperboled. It is on record that Rahul Gandhi stated that the “Nehru family” alone brought freedom to India. Recently he said that Congress party had no hand in the Sikh genocide of 1984. Such expressions laid bare Rahul Gandhi’s gross political immaturity, limited intellect and lack of knowledge, history and culture of the country. It is pathetic that P Chidambaram and a few others of the Congress continue to make excuses for Rahul Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi had disrupted the very fabric of India in ways unfathomable, and India cannot afford to have another Rajiv Gandhi in the name of Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister.
Yours etc.,
Samares Bandyopadhyay,
Advocate, Kolkata High Court