Editor,
Is the BJP Meghalaya remotely controlled from Assam? Once upon a time in a remote corner of this country a glittering region and its people shone bright and were the envy of the ruling coterie because its inhabitants were wise and withstood the attempts of the rulers to impose their ways upon them. The rulers resorted to irredentism to keep the region under their control but the people rose up, fought tooth and nail against the rulers and succeeded in forming a region of their own and the people broke into uncontrolled rapture and merriment and lived happily.
This is not a fable, because at this point in time I can no longer avoid giving a first provisional statement of my own hypothesis concerning the “Conrad short circuits Mukul’s bid to join the BJP?” report in the Shillong Times on the 21st April 2023 and that the Chief Minister of the erstwhile State that we were a part of then is calling the shots in the present situation. It may sound rather strange and needs to be pondered over, lived with and slept with for a long time if we are to understand the ramifications of this situation and still we may not be able to get our heads around it wholly. I regard this as a bad conscience, as a serious illness that the BJP Meghalaya has contracted under the stress of the most fundamental fact that it cannot make any headway on its own and in some mysterious way it reminds me of the fate of the first sea creatures that left the sea to start a new life as land animals or perish billions of years ago.
It most certainly must have been a similar experience like what the BJP in Meghalaya is going though now…yet to find its voice and express itself. This reportedly unreasonable trust that the Party has in The Chief Minister of Assam could easily become the obituary or a funeral experience for the BJP in Meghalaya from which it will take more than a Herculean effort to come back. Whereas those first creatures have now established themselves as land animals, the BJP Meghalaya may become disvalued and defunct because politics has a strange way of turning the table upside down. I believe the miserable feeling of those creatures then is in no way different from the terrible sense of discomfort and peril that many members of the BJP in Meghalaya are going through right now. All instincts that do not discharge themselves outwardly turn inward and thus the BJP in Meghalaya has apparently reversed its evolutionary process and returned to its embryonic form, re-entering the womb from which it found life to once again be deprived of any shape, voice, and mind of its own. It would seem the BJP is bereft of the once bright and brilliant people of this region.
Yours etc.,
Gregory F Shullai,
Via email
2-state policy
Editor,
The reservation mechanism has allowed political parties to sit up and take deep interest, especially with the roster system now being thrown back into the legislative arena to decide the best outcome. Notwithstanding the fact that the Garo community has been side-lined to a certain extent in all these past 50 years by their very own representatives and the “construct” that has been created that the Khasi and Jaintias have taken the cream of all development across all seven districts, the crux of all this is because our very own Khasi legislators have no courage to stand up for what is right because of the “fear” of antagonizing the other community. All they love is money, and power and hence are self-centric. When it comes to the crunch and our rights we need people who would stand up for what is right and wrong and not just gobble up what is dished out. The Garos need their rights so let them get their due but so do the Khasis and Jaintias who are well within their constitutional boundaries. A section of the Garos have now demanded a separate state in their overall interest. This is a democratic and constitutional right which they should take up to the highest echelons of the country. A separate Khasi and Garo state would be the only way forward towards ending the conflicting interests and both sides should resolve this in a positive spirit.
Yours etc…
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar
Via email
Amritpal Singh finally arrested
Editor,
With the combined joint operations of Punjab police ultimately Sikh extremist Amritpal Singh was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) from a gurdwara under near Moga and immediately sent to Dibrugarh jail where other extremists are also under custody. In Punjab electioneering is in progress for the Jalandhar Parliamentary bye election. Hence it is expected from all the political parties that they should refrain from allegations and counter allegations on the issue of Amritpal Singh since peace has returned to the Punjab after a great effort.
Antisocial elements will try to disturb the peace so we all have to remain united so that no one takes any chance to disturb the communal harmony which the Punjab state had shown during the anti- Sikh riots. In the Punjab there was not a single, repeat, not a single riot in the state during the Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984.
Such are the strong binding factors among the diverse societies in the State that nobody could create division among the various communities.
It is worth mentioning here that the political alliance between Akali Dal and BJP was less political and more social in nature and this alliance continued for more than 25 years. It is the culture of Punjab people that they undertake political experiments and this was clear from the results of the last assembly elections when AAP got a thumping majority in the assembly. But it is a pity to note that after three months there was a bye- election to Sangrur parliamentary constituency and AAP party had won all the assembly seats of Sangrur. But in the bye- election AAP lost the seat to Simran jit Singh of the Akali Dal.
Now again the bye election to the Jalandhar Parliamentary seat will be held on May 10 and from reports pouring in through the media the Congress is likely to retain the seat
Ultimately what is important is for us to remain united and defeat the anti- social elements who try to disturb the peace and communal amity.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email