[Assam] Panicky Politicians -Sentinel Editorial

[Chan Mahanta]

>  >hehehe! That seems to have rubbed the wrong way:)  Oh! there are 
>many examples from different states - 100% of villages electrified 
>in Kerala, a number of states are way ahead in education and 
>literacy (some 100 %)
>and there are many more.


*** I am sure there are many more wonderful examples to emulate Ram.

But even if we focus on the rural electrification example you hold out:

	How many Kerala villages have that now? And HOW exactly did
	that get done? Not ASEB, I hope :-). Also, how many hours a day
	did you say that get power? And who pays for it?

And I commend that goal of 100% literacy rate of Kerala too. Would 
you suggest Assam go the Kerala way , by starting a statewide 
Christian conversion as the first step :-)?

Naah, you did not rub me the wrong way Ram. I just continue get 
fascinated by your naivete :-).













At 9:36 AM -0500 10/10/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>C'da,
>
>  >If so what do you think is the reason Ram? Bad kharkhowa genes >perhaps :-)?
>
>No, not in the genes. But it is the general attitude. There is 
>apathy in almost every sphere and the feeling one gets is a 'every 
>man for himself' and little else matters.
>
>  >>And this unmitigated comedy is possible in Assam, because 
>the >>politicians can >get away with it, and the people are mute 
>spectators.
>
>
>  >*** What would your recommendation on a remedy be?
>
>Obviously, people ought to stop being spectators and take active 
>interest in the functioning of the local admintration. They 
>obviously take 'active' part in bandhs, in political rallies, and 
>processions for pay raises. But when it comes to getting the streets 
>clean, ensuring drinking water, or corruption, there is a huge 
>apathy.
>
>  >*** Me too. So why don't you do everyone a favor and tell us about 
>which >state/s to emulate, hopefully citing something verifiable 
>examples :-)?
>
>hehehe! That seems to have rubbed the wrong way:)  Oh! there are 
>many examples from different states - 100% of villages electrified 
>in Kerala, a number of states are way ahead in education and 
>literacy (some 100 %)
>and there are many more.
>
>Why should emulating such examples of successes be bad? We don't 
>have to emulate goondaism in Bihar, or religious intolerance in the 
>cow belt, but we certainly can take a cue from here and there.
>
>--Ram
>
>
>On 10/10/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>Ram:
>
>
>  >No, C'da, in Assam, we are several notches higher, much higher. > 
>Most other >states and the rest of the country are in much better 
>shape. On most issues, >whether it is corruption, insurgency, 
>under-development, or mal-governance, >Assam seems to lead the way.
>
>
>
>
>*** I see.
>
>
>If so what do you think is the reason Ram? Bad kharkhowa genes perhaps :-)?
>
>
>
>
>  >And this unmitigated comedy is possible in Assam, because the 
>politicians can >get away with it, and the people are mute 
>spectators.
>
>
>*** What would your recommendation on a remedy be?
>
>
>
>
>  >If Assam could emulate the better examples of some of the states, 
>we could all >be jumping with joy.
>
>
>*** Me too. So why don't you do everyone a favor and tell us about 
>which state/s to emulate, hopefully citing something verifiable 
>examples :-)?
>
>
>c-da
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 8:29 AM -0500 10/10/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
>>C'da,
>>
>
>
>  >Incidentally it is the STATE of ENTIRE INDIA.
>
>
>
>No, C'da, in Assam, we are several notches higher, much higher. Most 
>other states and the rest of the country are in much better shape.
>
>On most issues, whether it is corruption, insurgency, 
>under-development, or mal-governance, Assam seems to lead the way.
>
>
>
>And this unmitigated comedy is possible in Assam, because the 
>politicians can get away with it, and the people are mute spectators.
>
>
>
>If Assam could emulate the better examples of some of the states, we 
>could all be jumping with joy.
>
>
>
>-Ram
>
>
>On 10/10/06, Chan Mahanta 
><<mailto:cmahanta at charter.net>cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>
>Ram:
>
>
>
>
>  >Don't know whether to laugh or cry?  This is the state of the State!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Depends on whether one identifies with the system that aids, abets 
>and generates
>
>this kind of unmitigated comedy, albeit at the people's expense.
>
>
>
>
>Incidentally it is the STATE of ENTIRE INDIA.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 7:33 AM -0500 10/10/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
>>Don't know whether to laugh or cry?  This is the state of the State!
>>
>
>
>________________
>
>Panicky Politicians
>As we reported yesterday, the State Home Department has shortlisted 
>217 Congress leaders as VVIPs/VIPs in the wake of the latest ULFA 
>threat to the ruling Congress. The most obvious question is: how 
>have as many as 217 Congress leaders become VVIPs or VIPs overnight? 
>Just because the ULFA has threatened the Congress? Have these 
>shortlisted leaders been threatened individually? Or are they really 
>the leaders of the masses, with a wonderful track record of 
>performance, who the ULFA would kill any day? There seems to be a 
>crisis now: how would one provide these new avatars - 217 VVIPs/VIPs 
>- bullet-proof luxury at a time when the State government is in 
>possession of only 52 bullet-proof cars, that too only on paper as 
>most of them are out of order? More important, over 5,000 
>Congressmen have applied for security cover, and a bullet-proof car 
>might be the wish of each one of them. Now the most important 
>question is: what would happen if non-VVIPs ask for security cover 
>or bullet-proof cars? What would happen if ordinary masses demand 
>so? Can there be personal security cover or bullet-proof cars for 
>the entire population of the State? As a matter of fact, it is 
>mostly ordinary men, women and children - all non-VVIPs, all 
>absolutely innocent - who have been killed in militant attacks over 
>the years. So do they not have a stronger reason for ask for 
>security cover or bullet-proof cars? How many such bullet-proof cars 
>can the government - in a welfare state that it claims to have 
>helped build - provide? Let one not say now that ordinary people do 
>not need security, and that they are very very important persons 
>(VVIPs, is not it?) only during elections. It is these ordinary 
>people who can survive well without being 'led' by panicky 
>politicians.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
><mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
><http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20061010/d7080aef/attachment.htm>