Hot Race
The coming 2026 assembly elections of the state are going to witness a hot race between four political parties to secure prized votes of Moimonsingia Miya voters. At this juncture, like always, Congress under Gaurav Gogoi is ahead, followed by AUDF. Though Akhil Gogoi is slightly holding onto the third place, former AASU General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi’s AJP (yet to open an account in the assembly or Lok Sabha polls) is working hard to impress and win the hearts of the Miya community. All the heads of the four mentioned parties are against the eviction of Miya people from the government, forest, and VGR land. Gaurav Gogoi addressed Miya people as ‘neo-Asomiya’. Akhil Gogoi is repeatedly visiting the evictees' camps and sharing his love and concern for the encroachers. Lurinjyoti Gogoi too is not lagging behind. In a recent press conference of his party, when a journalist addressed illegal encroachers as ‘Miya Muslim’, he immediately shot back at the journalist, asking him to mind his words and address the Miya people in a respectful manner. As the days are nearing the announcement of the assembly polls, the three musketeers (Gaurav, Akhil and Lurinjyoti) are surely going to devise many ways to impress the Moimonsingia Miyas. The trio will be well guided by the likes of Dr Hiren Gohain, Abdul Mannan, Ajit Bhuyan, Paresh Malakar and a few others.
Before concluding through your esteemed daily, I want to know from the current AASU leadership how AJP, born from AASU’s womb, can be a Moimonsingia Miya supporter or lover? AJP was born with the promise to secure the rights of the indigenous people post anti-CAA protest. But today they are one of the leading voices of illegal and suspected Bangladeshi-origin Muslims who are threatening the very existence of the indigenous people of the state. I believe the top leadership of AASU is keeping a note of it.
Pratap Chandra Dutta,
Silapathar.
Under compulsion
Of late, AASU and AJYCP, the two student organisations in the state, have started anti-CAA agitation by taking out candlelight processions in some parts of upper Assam. Interestingly, so far, due to reasons best known to the Almighty, these two organisations have not come out openly supporting the eviction drive against illegal encroachers as they did in opposing the CAA. Maybe, the linguistic minority community people of doubtful nationality are closer to them than the Hindu Bengalis who have migrated to Assam under compulsion. There is a definite difference between a refugee and a trespasser.
It appears they are doing so because of their ‘secular character’; they are following certain compulsions.
Joel Goyari
Tangla.
Skyrocketing cancer care costs
Hardly anyone would dispute the profound importance of public health in any nation. It is an unshakeable duty of every government to ensure that treatment for all illnesses remains affordable to the common citizen. Yet, shockingly, the State Cancer Institute in Guwahati has recently imposed a steep hike in its service charges. A patient is now required to deposit Rs 10,000 at the time of admission. The registration fee has risen from Rs 100 to Rs 360. The cost of a general bed has surged from Rs 200 to Rs 1,500, while the rate for a single cabin has jumped from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500. Similarly, the charge for a shared cabin has climbed from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. Even diagnostic costs have skyrocketed — blood tests have doubled from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,400, ICU charges have leapt from Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000, and CT scan fees have gone up from Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,500. These figures are nothing short of staggering, especially for patients battling cancer — a disease already known to drain both health and finances. The situation demands urgent government intervention to compel the institute to revert to its earlier pricing, thereby alleviating the burden on marginalised patients.
If the government truly wishes to be seen as one that serves its people — particularly the underprivileged — it must prioritize affordable healthcare and education, even if it means cutting down on less essential expenditures. Only then will it deserve the trust and gratitude of its citizens.
Dipen Gogoi,
Teok, Jorhat,