Rafale deal: Between allegation and adjudication
The Rafale aircraft deal, intended to bolster India’s air power, later stirred up a storm in political circles. Questions cropped up over pricing, procedure, and the reported sidelining of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India’s long-standing public sector aerospace company. Anil Ambani's decision to incorporate Reliance Defence shortly before the deal announcement was a key flashpoint. Critics seized on this to argue that a debt-laden company had landed on its feet through favourable treatment. Rahul Gandhi used this sequence to suggest crony capitalism and political patronage.
However, timing by itself does not automatically add up to proof. Under India’s offset policy, foreign vendors are free to pick their Indian partners. The government has consistently refrained from intervening or exerting influence. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, it did not find evidence of wrongdoing in the decision-making process, though critics continued to press for greater transparency. Over time, the issue snowballed into more of a political slugfest than a legal showdown — a case where perception ran ahead of proof. No judicial finding established corruption, yet the controversy refused to die down. In the end, defence deals of this scale are bound to draw scrutiny. When large sums of public money and national security are at stake, people expect clarity. In a democracy, questions persist until they receive a convincing response.
Dipen Gogoi,
Teok, Jorhat
Traffic chaos in Hojai
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the Hojai District Administration and the public toward a pressing issue.
The opening of the new bridge connecting Purona Bazar and Notun Bazar was a moment of immense relief for the people of Hojai. For a long time, everyone suffered because of the railway gate, which would close many times a day for passing trains. However, while the problem above the tracks is gone, a new and serious traffic mess has started on the ground below.
The main issue is the area directly under and around the bridge. The road there has become extremely narrow because many small shops and roadside stalls have opened up right on the edge of the street. These shops take up so much space that it is now almost impossible for a car to pass through. What was meant to be a smooth path for commuters has turned into a tight bottleneck that causes frustration every day. Adding to this chaos is the reckless behaviour of e-rickshaw drivers; they stop in the middle of the road whenever they want to pick up or drop off passengers. They don't follow rules, and one rickshaw can block all traffic on the already thin road. This lack of order causes long delays for people trying to reach the fish market by car or bike.
The administration can solve the traffic problem in Hojai by taking simple steps. The roadside stalls need to be moved to a different, designated place where they can do business without blocking the street. There should be a separate route or a fixed parking area for E-rickshaws so they don't stop randomly in the middle of the road. The new bridge is a wonderful addition to our town, but it will only truly benefit the public if the roads below it are kept clear and organized.
Nilim Kashyap Barthakur
Hojai
Decline in Assamese-speaking population
At a time when the Miya issue is grabbing headlines, the crucial news item with the headline, 'Will the Assamese-speaking population continue to show a decreasing trend?' published in your esteemed daily on January 29, has drawn our sharp attention. The decreasing share of the Assamese-speaking population in Assam has emerged as a pressing issue. Although Assamese enjoys both constitutional and cultural recognition and has been declared a classical language of India, the Assamese-speaking population has dropped below fifty percent in five decades. We have come to learn that the Miyan population has decided to state their language as Bengali instead of Assamese in the upcoming census. This move has now led to a disparity between the Assamese- and Bengali-speaking populations and signals both a cultural and sociolinguistic challenge for the indigenous Assamese, who may soon become a minority in their own state.
Therefore, it calls for urgent, inclusive policy action to ensure its vitality in modern times. Assamese needs to be introduced as a compulsory second language in both private and English-medium schools across the state, and its declining content needs to be promoted in technology, OTT platforms, and government digital services, ensuring wider use of Assamese for official purposes, encouraging non-native communities to learn Assamese as a second language while preserving their linguistic heritage, and promoting inclusivity and folk cultural projects in Assamese through schemes like 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' under the Ministry of Culture, etc. These are the urgent tasks to be undertaken on a priority basis. The promotion of Assamese with respect for multilingual diversity is necessary to make it a living and growing medium of identity and unity in Assam in the days to come. The Assam Sahitya Sabha and AASU must play a pivotal role in making Assamese speaking mandatory among people from all walks of life.
Iqbal Saikia,
Guwahati.