R:
Glad to hear of your thoughts.
To give you a short but apropos answer, as far as I am concerned,
I am a power hungry person. Isn't that obvious? Did you have to ask me
that?
But it is really not about me. I propose this for Assam's
betterment. Not that it is a personal ambition for myself ( I left
'India - A Good Place to Leave' --remember?), I am merely expressing
it for many others who do not have the voice nor the liberties to
express it in so many words.
I propose this because I can read the handwriting on the wall--a
gift that I believe I ought not to waste, like many of you other fine
and otherwise able people do. It saddens me to see that.
Assam has all the ingredients to better its lot: Resources,
talents, a long history of an ability to stand on its own, until the
colonialists changed its course. All it needs is the liberty to go
retool its mechanisms to make itself over into a modern, progressive,
democratic ( unlike desi-demokrasy that is) nation. But for that it
needs a course of chemotherapy first. It needs too destroy its
cancerous cells and rejuvenate its vitals--its people and their
attitudes.
It could have been done as an autonomous entity within a truly
federal arrangement in the Indian Union, that the people of Assam
trusted India with at independence. But trust was broken by an all
powerful, centrally controlled India, which steadily and deliberately
destroyed the federal concept. Assam was turned into a colonial
holding to be exploited to serve India's interests, while Assam
languishes, being used and abandoned.
Rajen, you are a very able and articulate person by any
standard. Why don't you explain to us, how you arrived at your
assessments as expressed in your note?
I am particularly baffled by your question " What you will gain".
Obviously you don't see any gain, perhaps only losses. I hope you will
articulate what they are, for Assam and for India.
If you can explain them, you might make a good case for Assam's
continued subservience to a Centrally controlled India .
I am challenging you to do the explaining Rajen. If you don't
it would appear that all you are good for is asserting your own
personal biases without any basis to back them up with.
Take care.
c
At 10:32 PM -0500 9/1/05, Barua25 wrote:
Do you believe it will hurt India, and thus in your infinite goodness
do not want to see that? Or do you think if Assam is set free it will
become the basket case of the world? Or are you paranoid about the
lungi-menace ?
Which one Ram :-)?
I think the only reason you want to free Assam from India is to grabe power for Assam by yourself like they are doing in Burmah. But why do you want to rule Assam like a dictator? What good will come out of it? What you will gain? Why is this hunger for power?
Rajen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Ram Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <assam@assamnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Nice Headline /from AT
> Ram:
>
>
> At 3:14 PM -0500 9/1/05, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
> >Hi C'da,
> >
> >Hope you had a nice trip out West.
>
>
> *** Yes, indeed. Had a great trip. Thanks.
>
>
> > >Since the two are so intertwined, we obviously cannot separate the
> >issues.
>
> **** That is a serious problem. One of the reasons Assam seeks to get
> out of the tangled mess that is India. It will be good for India, and
> better for Assam.
>
> Do you believe it will hurt India, and thus in your infinite goodness
> do not want to see that? Or do you think if Assam is set free it will
> become the basket case of the world? Or are you paranoid about the
> lungi-menace ?
>
> Which one Ram :-)?
>
>
> > >Its not just reforms (for developement or growth), you posts reflect
> >the utter lack of faith in desi-demokrasy, elekshuns, and system of
> >governance in India.
>
> **** And with good reasons. I did not use to be so. I too was a
> 'pucca' desi-patriot. But I got wiser, and I learned how to read the
> handwriting on the wall. Not just in this case, but in most all other
> areas of life too. And it has served me well, and thus my confidence.
>
>
>
> ELEKSHUNS are a tool, a mean for selecting a team to mind your
> collective affairs. If that slate of the elected are unable to
> deliver, then such
> elekshuns deserve to be shunned. They are not icons on to themselves,
> inviolate, to be held up on a pedestal like yet another desi-god.
> People deserve to throw out the effective system and adopt a more
> reliable one.
>
> How?
> # By developing a modern and fair constitution for assam
>
> # By having campaign finance regulations that have teeth and
> are enforceable. Assam elekshuns are controlled by outside business
> interests thru BLACK MONEY that desi-demokrasy is impotent in curbing.
>
> # By adopting a candidate selection process that is not beholden to the
> 'high-command'. Remember how Bhupen Hazarika proudly announced that
> he will do whatever his 'Atalji' told him, whatever this masters in
> the 'high command' had in store for him? But BH is not an exception
> to the rule. He is the norm. Others have been actually worse. Is
> that democracy in your book Ram?
>
> # By changing the administrative system, where a demagogue
> that can draw
> large numbers of vote gets to be that important minister, in charge of
> managing those complex affairs of state, riding herd/hard over his
> itinerant IAS minions going 'hoy saar, hoy-saar' failing which
> they might end managing a bankrupt undertaking at Jokaisuk. The
> system must be re-tooled to attract and enable the able from Assam
> to run for office. And the management must not be automatically go
> to the largest vote-getter, qualified or not.
>
> An executive style of government instead of the feeble and impotent
> parliamentary kind practised in India would be a good alternative.
>
> # A thorough overhaul of the judiciary is crucial, with local people
> as judges, and not foreign ones, sent in to serve at Guwahati for
> sins in their native lands.
> # Complete overhaul of the police system with civilian oversight,
> who will be trained to SERVE the people, and not RULE over them like
> the desi-coloninal system in place. Police will have adequate
> educational qualifications with adequate compensation for a dignified
> lifestyle. And police staff shall NEVER again be menial
> house-servants for MLAs, ministers and bureaucrats.
>
>
> I hope you catch my drift Ram. I can go on and on, but I hope that
> won't be necessary.
>
> I look forward to your rebuttal :-).
>
> c-da
>
>
> >
> >This is what you say today:
> >> I can't give India solutions to its problems. But I sure do have
> >> ideas for Assam.
> >
> >But this is what you said last week:
> >
> >**** Until such time as Indian policies rule over Assam, the two could
> >not be separated.
> >
> >Since the two are so intertwined, we obviously cannot separate the
> >issues. Problems in India affect Assam (and vice versa I would think).
> >
> >So, as long as Assam is still a part and parcel of India, we can't be
> >all gripes and no solutions for the country.
> >
> >Its not just reforms (for developement or growth), you posts reflect
> >the utter lack of faith in desi-demokrasy, elekshuns, and system of
> >governance in India.
> >
> >That would obviously lead one to think that you do have a solution up
> >the sleeve (which you were willing to share with us, last week).
> >
> >> Your comment implies that there is no better way. Only those who
> >> intentionally keep themselves behind blinders would believe that.
> >
> >On the contrary, that wasn't my implication at all. I think there is a
> >lot that India needs to take care of.
> >
> >But I also believe that with a huge and diverse population, the
> >country has in its own way been able to move forward in a democratic
> >setup, making corrections along the way. You cannot give me another
> >example where the fundamentals of democracy are still intact, given
> >the myraid of problems that India faces. I believe there are enough
> >intelligent people at the Center, who do think about solutions to move
> >the country forward. And lastly, I understand that Delhi cannot be
> >Assam centric all the time, it has the whole country to look after.
> >Being the Center, it must at least try to give a fair shake to each
> >state.
> >
> >So, once again C'da, without going into semantics and spins, what do
> >you see as a possible solution for holding free and fair elekshuns,
> >correcting desi-demokrasy, and changing the system of governance.?
> >
> >Will await with bated breath :) :)
> >
> >--Ram
> >
> >On 9/1/05, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >> Ram:
> >>
> >>
> >> I can't give India solutions to its problems. But I sure do have
> >> ideas for Assam.
> >>
> >> Your response implies there are no better options. But that is not
> >> credible. There are many Indians themselves, even in govt., including
> >> MMS, who know that reforms are direly needed. But it is fractured the
> >> nature of India which prevents the forced conglomeration that passes
> >> for a country from effecting the reforms it is required to.
> >>
> >> Your comment implies that there is no better way. Only those who
> >> intentionally keep themselves behind blinders would believe that.
> >>
> >>
> >> c-da
> >>
> > >
> >>
>
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