[Assam] We Need Your Help

Thu Dec 28 19:15:36 PST 2006

the main question remains is what the general public demands. 
  Even in US didn't the govt change the law so that Mary Schivo not be allowed to die --due to intense public pressure. If there were such a pressure within Assam against such a move surely no political party would change the state's name (which anyway isn't much different from the original) 

  Ofcourse, you are welcome to create such a public pressure though I see the petition being hardly equal to the pressure created by local demonstrations. For Darfur a petition was signed by 118 Nobel laureates --that kind of support to a petition would certainly create pressure. 

  Umesh

Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
        The question Umesh is WHETHER the two are SIMILAR or comparable issues? If there was a ground-swell of public sentiment for changing Assam to Asom, then there would be no questioning the legislature's actions, absent which one must ask where that mandate came from.

  Tamilnadu has been the historical name of Tamilnadu. Madras was an anglicized name. How does that compare with Assam vs. Asom? One would have hoped you had the wherewithal to see and consider the difference. Instead you gave us examples of Leningrad, and Petrograd, and now comparing Assam to Tamilnadu.

  Your simple-minded comparing of apples and oranges is what one would be amazed with.

  At 11:03 PM +0000 12/28/06, umesh sharma wrote:
  C-da,     Here is the example of what took place when Madras Presidency became Tamil Nadu -- an Act had to be passed by Indian Parliament --has that taken place for name change of Assam?  http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/history/history.htm  ***  Change in nomenclature.              The Fourth Assembly was constituted on the 1st March 1967 after the General Elections held in February 1967.  It consisted of 234 territorial Constituencies of which 42 had been reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes besides one nominated Member.  During the term of this Assembly on the 18th July 1967, the House by a resolution unanimously adopted and recommended that steps be taken by the State Government to secure necessary amendment to the Constitution of India to change the name of Madras State as "Tamil Nadu".   Accordingly, the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 (Central Act  53 of 1968) was passed by the Parliament and came into force on the 14th January
 1969.  Consequently, the nomenclature "Madras Legislative Assembly" was changed into "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly".              >From 1967 onwards, the strength of the Assembly continued to remain as 234 besides a nominated member.     http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=67033 this is about Assam's name change -- Central govt has yet to take decision, though.     Umesh

Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:

U:

Are you suggesting a Harvard grad. knows little more than a
desi-Matriculate as far as these issues are concerned?

If true, that will be a very disappointing revelation.

Anyway, IF you don't know what the CONSTITUTION -- the document that
you say lays down the powers of elected reps., provides for, then HOW
DID YOU come to BELIEVE that Assam legislators have the power to
change the state's name?

And if they do, what kind of a mandate do they require? A simple
majority? A minority, in a coalition govt. like the Assam govt. today
is? Or a thumping run-away majority running on a platform carrying
the issue in its agenda for Assam ? What?

Or is it something you made up on the fly?

When I assert something as my BELIEF, I would never, ever make
something up, without understanding what it is all about. Seems like
your beliefs are not that well-founded.

What am I missing here?

c-da

At 10:11 PM +0000 12/28/06, umesh sharma wrote:
>C-da,
>
>One doesn't have to be Harvard trained for knowing why we elect
>people for public offices. Those who study in high school have
>to study that in India as Civics (and I believe in US also -as
>Government).
>
>Anyway I am not an expert on what exactly can the elcted officials
>can/not do and how they must go about it --- I am not a
>constitutional expert - I gave my thought as a citizen --just like u
>asked. If the populace doesn't like the new name the citizens do
>have every right to raise their voice - and later create enough din
>that a new govt is elected which reverts back to the original name.
>Democracy depends upon public opinion of the majority --just like
>based on public pressure Leningrad has again become St Petersburg.  >
>Umesh
>

Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park,
(Washington D.C. Metro Region)
MD 20740

1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep

---------------------------------
    All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine  

_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
assam at assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org

Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, 
(Washington D.C. Metro Region)
MD 20740 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
website: www.gse.harvard.edu/iep

---------------------------------
 The all-new Yahoo! Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20061229/388f3151/attachment.htm>