Editor,
Apropos of the news item, ’67 Meghalaya students return home from restive B’Desh,’ (ST July 19, 2024), the current state of affairs is deeply worrying and unsettling in Bangladesh. What is unfolding in Bangladesh is deeply unsettling for a generation that only asked for a fair opportunity in public service recruitment. . The tension escalated when PM Sheikh Hasina made a controversial remark, “If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters don’t get quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars get the benefit?” Razakars refers to a militia force that helped the Pakistan Armed forces to crush pro-independence supporters in then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, during 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war. This led to the eruption of the simmering discontent of a youth population built over years. The protests are the first challenge to Hasina’s government since she won a fourth consecutive term.
Yours etc.
M.Haque (Advocate)
Shillong-6
VPP’s abstention!
Editor,
In the recent Lok Sabha session where newly elected Members of Parliament to the 18th august House of Lok Sabha were sworn in, there was a contest for the post of Speaker and the final result was par for the course as the BJP and its allies won the crucial coveted chair by electing 0 M Birla. However,many of us, if not all, who voted for the VPP candidate Dr.R A J Syngkon thought that he would vote against the saffron candidate, but, conversely, he resorted to abstain from his sacrosanct right of voting; thus giving the BJP contestant an outright win. We may think that this non-exercise of voting by the VPP MP may be a pivotal strategy or a masterstroke with a far sighted aim for the holistic welfare of the Hynñiewtrep people!
In less than no time post the election of the said Speaker, the BJP led government through the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways ( MORTH) Nitin Gadkari has called the newly elected Shillong MP on July 3, for a meeting where it transpired that the Central government has sanctioned Rs 290 crore for exigent repairs and maintenance of the National Highway 6 since the same has been in a deplorable state for a pretty long period. Incidentally, when I queried some politically discerning citizens behind such an unprecedented benevolent gesture of the NDA government when our former Congress MP couldn’t do anything much notwithstanding his having been elected for three terms on the trot, the unanimous response I received was, ‘quid pro quo!’ 0thers have even concluded, ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours!’
However, it may not be impertinent perhaps to conjure up the past when Ardent Basawiamoit, the present leader of VPP, while he was the president of HSPDP, contested the State’s election in 2018 from Nongkrem constituency. As ill luck would have it, he was defeated by his political rival. Subsequent to the 2018 Assembly elections, Basawiamoit resigned from the HSPDP. This resignation was not owing to his loss at the hustings, but some political pundits had opined that Basawiamoit’s opting out of the HSPDP lock, stock and barrel was because the two victorious HSPDP candidates joined hands with the two saffron MLAs in the formation of the then government; given the fact that Basawiamoit wasn’t preferring to have any truck, as he may have thought, with the alleged communal party!
Be that as it may, in the ultimate analysis, the Hynñiewtrep voters, are, by and large, elated come rain or shine for the VPP, as a dominant regional party, knows how to roll the dice!
Yours etc
Jerome K Diengdoh,
Shillong-2
Next parliament session set to be a stormy one
Editor,
The lengthy speeches from Rahul Gandhi and Modi at the opening the 18th Parliament session indicates that the next budget session which will start from Jul 22 will be a stormy one and it also shows the deepening of democracy in India which was not visible during the last ten years as the Congress could not win enough seats to get the status of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and during the last five years there was no deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha while bills were passed within minutes without referring to Parliamentary Committees. Now, due to the presence of a strong Opposition in the Lok Sabha the undemocratic practices will be stopped and true democracy will prevail and every Indian will feel proud of it.
It is evident that during this parliament session the shouts of “Modi Modi “on Modi’s arrival in the Lok Sabha were comparatively weaker as compared to the earlier sessions and the same is likely to happen in the coming sessions. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi was allowed to have his say with minimum interruption from the treasury benches and due to this reason he could deliver his speech for about 100 minutes which is a vast change from the past. During the speech of Rahul Gandhi Modi as well as Amit Shah and Raj Nath Singh intervened twice but still Rahul remained adamant on his versions which was rarely seen in his speech. Moreover, BJP’s allies except for Chirag Paswan were not heard making overly supportive statements.
Well aware that its election campaign on the BJP’S proposal to amend the Constitution resonated with the electorate especially the Dalits the Congress led INDIA alliance is continuing to focus on this issue as seen in the opening session of the Lok Sabha. We are also aware how a single statement of RSS Chief on reservations in Bihar elections proved costly for the BJP and Malayalam Singh himself narrated in the Lok Sabha that BJP lost the assembly elections due to one statement of RSS Chief on review of reservation policy.
The Opposition has extended the “Samvidhan khatre mein hai ” narrative to Dalit assertions with plans to woo the Scheduled Castes to its fold and due to this reason the SC candidate of Samajwadi Party was sitting with Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. The issue of NEET is not being handled by the ruling party and during the budget session it will be a hot topic being discussed in the coming parliament session and moreover Agniveer scheme is under attack from opposition parties and divergent views are being expressed. It is expected that the government will try to clear the doubts of the parties. GST also needs further improvement. On the employment front the government has to present the guidelines and also on inflation the government needs to present the future map.
During the Parliament session Opposition parties had also put pressure on the Speaker which was demonstrated by one example. When Modi entered the Lok Sabha, the Speaker stood to greet him. Rahul Gandhi immediately objected to his action stating that the Speaker is the Presiding officer of Parliament and should know his place. These small examples indicate how the next parliament sessions will be and we have to wait and watch even while the INDIA alliance strives to strengthen the democratic values of this country which had been under attack under the BJP regime.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email