State: Politics of Threat?

?I have operated many anti-social activities. I shall ask my cadres to enter the houses of opposition party members and ?rape? the girls and

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Jul 5, 2014, 02:53 pm IST

Politics of Threat?

“I have operated many anti-social activities. I shall ask my cadres to enter the houses of opposition party members and ‘rape’ the girls and women living there,” said, Tapas Paul, a second time elected Member of the Parliament. The comment was a reaction to the murder of four TMC workers allegedly by the CPM goons. Ashok Dutta, the Trinamool block president told media persons, “Tapas Paul made the speech at Choumaha on June 14. I was present there and was stunned how an MP could utter such words.”
The damage management group of TMC under the leadership of Mukul Roy, MP and Partha Chatterjee, education minister of the State told the media, “It was not a mistake but big blunder”. Tapas immediately abided by it as the party was keen to close the chapter.

West Bengal?

People want to punish Tapas Paulas he had committed a heinous crime and it denied the norms of democracy. West Bengal state BJP took initiative in filing FIRs against Paul in different Police Stations of the state. Two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) have already been filed in the Calcutta High Court. But it seems CM of the State is quite satisfied with the apology letter submitted by Tapas Paul.
Mamata Banerjee said to Media when asked about the whole scene, “What will I do, kill him? We have cautioned him, sought a clarification from him. CPM leaders have said so many things against me. My party’s spokesperson has condemned it, sought an explanation and an unconditional apology. The party will then decide.” By now, this has become abundantly clear that Mamata is not going to take any legal or punitive action against Paul.

—Asim Kumar Mitra from Kolkata ?

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A Disgusting Display of Lust for Power?

On May 16, when it became clear that the Congress had suffered its worst defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Assam, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi received a standing ovation from the distinguished panelists present on Arnab Goswami’s TV programme covering the election results when he declared that he took full responsibility for the debacle and would resign. Unlike Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who instead of handing over his resignation to the Governor, has been frantically shuttling between Dispur and Delhi trying to save his chair. Unfortunately both factions are quite unconcerned about the fact that as they squabble over power the State is suffering due to a lack of governance.

Assam

In 1969, the Indian National Congress (INC) split because of dissents. Indira Gandhi supported by the young turks opposed the Congress syndicate represented by Kamraj, Morarji Desai and Nijalingappa over differences in government policy. Indira Gandhi and her supporters wanted a socialist agenda. While the old guards wanted a rightist policy.
The Assam Pradesh Congress (APC) has been plagued by dissidence for two years now. The rift is not because of ideology or policy. It is over the chief ministership. Not only is Tarun Gogoi a long time loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, but more significantly he is responsible for reviving the fortunes of the Congress party in Assam. And since he took over the reins of the State unit in 2001, barring the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party has won every election from the panchayat to the parliament. This is an enviable record. But in the age of perform or perish the past cannot secure the future.
Every year the intensity of floods and erosion is increasing, not even sparing the premier city of Guwahati. Hundreds of rhinos have been slaughtered. Medical care is still out of reach of the common man as there are no doctors, medicines or proper equipment in the primary health centres and government hospitals. Unemployment is on the rise and there is no accountability of funds worth thousands of crores allocated for development works.
However Assam cannot continue to be held to ransom because of dissidence in the Congress. If the current crisis in the APC is not immediately resolved then the Governor must fulfill his constitutional duty and ask the government to prove its majority on the floor of the house.

—Pranjit Agarwala from Guwahati