Editor,
Last month the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) conducted its 25th Convocation but it intentionally or otherwise ignored those students and research scholars whose results were declared in 2017. The notification dated October 22 stated that only graduates who have passed the Bachelor’s Degree Examination between January, 2018 and October, 2018, Post Graduates who passed between January, 2018 and October, 2018 and M.Phil and Ph.D results notified between January 2018 and before November 10, 2018 were eligible for receiving their degrees in person.
This action by the University authorities tantamount to gross injustice and discrimination even as it hits at the morale of those students and research scholars who by convention have all the right to stand on the dais and receive their degrees in person.
I wish to question why the University authorities separated those students whose results were declared after April 28, 2017. Don’t these set of students also belong to this University?
Yours etc.,
Anthony Warjiri
Shillong – 4
A common winning Lok Sabha candidate
Editor,
The search for a consensus and a winning candidate ends here. He belongs to no party and should be acceptable to all parties without disrespect to any party. He is ready to win the Shillong Lok Sabha seat for the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA). He has all the experience and qualities to be a good parliamentarian for Meghalaya and the Khasi Jaintia people in particular. Since BJP, a partner has already decided to field its own candidate, the regional parties in the MDA have to decide on a common candidate. Since no other party has any hold over the Tura seat other than the National Peoples’ Party of the Chief Minister; it would be wise for the coalition partners to support the NPP candidate. Looking at the Shillong seat, with many prominent regional parties like UDP, HSPDP, PDF, KHNAM etc., consensus will be tricky if we look at the vote share they have. UDP the main coalition partner in the MDA have already projected their candidate; the rest still hold their cards close to their chest. There’s a rumour going round that NPP is roping in the veteran ex-Congress leader .DD Lapang to project his candidature for the Shillong seat. It is absurd to expect other partners to support an 84 year old Congressman whom they had fought against in the last many decades.
Not only once but many a times the regional parties were slapped in the face by the Congress in the past. Only fools get cheated by the same person repeatedly. On the other hand for NPP to project the veteran, who is already past retirement age as their choice of candidate, is highly ambitious. Looking at the recent Mizoram Assembly elections, NPP should be more careful in being over-ambitious and if they do project their candidate as per the rumours it will be advantageous for the sitting INC candidate, Vincent Pala. Now at the end of the search, let’s take a common ground – the “Winning Prospect”.
In the last election there were 4 candidates to the Shillong seat who are worth mentioning since the rest got beaten by NOTA. The winning candidate was Vincent Pala of the INC securing 2,09,340 votes. The 1st runner- up was Rev PBM Basaiawmoit securing 1,68,961 votes, 2nd runner-up was Paul Lyngdoh of UDP securing 1,06,817votes while the BJP candidate, S Lyngdoh secured 95,979 votes. This time Paul Lyngdoh is replaced by a new candidate who is a first timer MLA and his acceptability to the majority of the voter in the Shillong seat is yet to be tested. The winning candidate of the INC who is a sitting MP and the BJP candidate are the two already declared for the race by their respective parties. Hence the remaining tested candidate is the 1st runner- up Rev PBM Basaiawmoit. In the last election, this candidate was supported by HSPDP & KHNAM. This time PDF is also added to the equation as a new political party in the state having four MLA’s, two of whom are cabinet ministers in the present MDA government. These three parties are yet to announce their candidates. With all facts in place, I believe that Rev PBM Basaiawmoit is the right choice of candidate for 2019 MP election? Surely it would be a change in every sense of the term and change will only come if we send a new face to Parliament. Do we have anything to lose if we give this gentleman a chance to perform at a very seasoned age of 72 years?
Most of the time good candidates lose because of the egotism of regional parties. It’s high time for the regional parties to stand united for a common and winnable candidate to represent the regional interests of the State in Parliament. For so many years we were represented by a Party with a national outlook and our regional and local issues /interests became secondary. Who would have thought that Martin M Danggo would lose after joining a ruling party and was instrumental in making Ranikor a sub-division? But the wise voters voted him out because they already chose the 1st runner-up to take the chair which Danggo vacated. Perhaps this time the regional parties should take this opportunity and pitch for a winning candidate. Regional parties cannot fail to understand this equation otherwise INC will still retain the Shillong seat and surely we can’t expect any change in the taste of the same wine coming from the same vintage and bottle. If we really want change then we should choose change; not wait for change. Change will start from oneself and that’s the beauty of voting in an election.
Yours etc.,
M Khonglah,
Via email
Stop politicising military operations
Editor,
Retired Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda, the former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army’s Northern Command in September 2016, during the surgical strike, has rightly spoken against politicising military operations. The strike was a necessary counter offensive of the army in retaliation for the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani terrorists. He said that it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success, but the constant hype over military operations was unwarranted. Indeed, a constant political showcasing of a military strike can have two-fold damage. First, a constant political chest – thumping for an army operation can have adverse effects on our relations with neighbouring countries. Second, if it is turned into a political asset of one political party, it will send a wrong message that the country is divided in terms of our defence policy.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata