Editor,
I am very intrigued with the headline, “Conrad roots for regional force against national parties,” ST April 3, 2019) As a citizen I have been observing the events happening in our country in general and in our State in particular, especially after the elections to the State Legislative Assembly, 2018. Our regional parties are not performing as per the expectations of the people who voted for them. What we see is a tussle for power and self-aggrandizement instead, as is evident during their mad rush to the Raj Bhavan as soon as the BJP leaders Nalin Kohli and Himanta Biswa Sarma arrived in Shillong. It’s as if they’re panicking lest they miss the opportunity to grab power. Remember there was no clear mandate, and I also vividly remember the saffronising oath taking ceremony! Lets also not forget that NPP, UDP and other regional parties are already in the NEDA umbrella of the BJP, which they are till now, so who are they trying to fool? Other smaller regional parties in our State will only sway where the wind blows, so they’re not stable either. Those who make a lot of noise about caring for the jaitbynriew will not hesitate to betray their principles. We are not bothered about any of the no “pre-poll alliance” with the BJP as denied by Conrad Sangma, but what we’re apprehensive of is the “post-poll arrangement or alliance” that will emerge after May 23, 2019. We, as citizens of this country have witnessed time and again the lynching, injustices, manipulations, polarization and the hate crimes that are venomously spreading across the country and which in an unprecedented move even the four judges of the Supreme Court had to appear in the media to alert and let known the happenings under this present dispensation. We have people of repute in their own spheres, the economists, the intelligentsia and renowned film personalities raising these disturbing issues that are facing us now. Moreover, have we also quickly forgotten the harassment imposed on us through ‘demonetization’? But that is not all. Who knows what else is to come in the future if we don’t act now. As some have already hinted, we might not have any elections again in India, which is quite scary to even think of.
Therefore, I appeal all parties in our State not to fool the people and to be truthful in their plans, speeches, ideas as they will be responsible for us all. To the people who will vote I appeal that you exercise your rights judiciously so that we ensure that we have peace and harmony, equity and justice by which means we will be able to grow and prosper, for our sake and for our children’s sake. Let us not be selfish and foolish lest we may not even have the freedom to regret.
Yours etc.
Valerie War
Shillong-14
Terrorism has no religion
Editor,
“Is there a single incident in history of Hindus engaging in terrorism?” This question was asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at an election rally in Wardha, Maharashtra. If we consider the official religion of some of the terrorists like the one who killed the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, then the answer will be ~ yes, there were many such incidents. Even the answer will remain in the affirmative if the question is raised on whether there were terrorists who used terrorism in the name of Hindu religion. But the answer will be a big NO if it is asked whether all Hindus can be tagged as terrorists.
As a matter of fact, this is applicable to all religions. Indeed, we cannot tag Christians as terrorists for the Holocaust against Jews. We cannot tag Buddhists for the Rohingya massacre in Myanmar. Also, we cannot tag Hindus as terrorists for the 1984 riots against Sikhs and the 2002 riots against Muslims. Similarly, it is equally absurd to hold all the Muslims responsible for the terror strike at Pulwama in Kashmir.
It will be a logical fallacy called “hasty generalization” if we paint all the people of a religion with a single brush. The CRPF personnel who were killed in the Pulwama attack showcased how fallacious such an attempt could be. We have Kashmiri Muslim, Bengali Hindu, Punjabi Sikh and tribal Jharkhandi among the martyrs.
The Election Commission must not let any political party misuse either majority religion or any minority religion during the time of election. Section 123 (3A) in the Representation of the People Act specifically says that the promotion of or attempt to promote feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language … for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of any candidate shall be deemed to be corrupt practices. The Election Commission must not let any political party violate this Act. The history of the British rule in India must be enough for all of us to learn about the danger of divide and rule policy.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Via email
