Letters to The EDITOR: Copycat AJP

Post CAA- born regional political party Assam Jatiya Parishad, formed to fulfil the political ambitions of a few former AASU leaders, is nothing but a copycat of Congress. After their emergence in the sphere of state politics, their leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi swore in the name of Assam that under no circumstances the new regional party will compromise with the regional aspirations of the state. After their complete rout in 2021 state elections, Lurinjyoti Gogoi and company threw their ideology and principles into the dustbin and joined hands with Congress to oust BJP from the state. They together contested the bypolls, only to be rejected outright by the voters. Now, to make their presence felt in the state after the repeated drubbing in the recent polls, they have undertaken an ‘Ek Asom Yatra’ from Dhubri to Sadiya, which is directly copied from Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The proposed 40 -day yatra is an attempt to woo the minorities, just like their masters, the Congress did. As parliamentary polls are approaching, it will be interesting to see how their big brother Congress treats them in seat sharing arrangements. Hope they are not assigned the task of pasting posters on the walls.

Pratap Dutta,

Tezpur

Nizam’s Successors

We all know that Hyderabad is one of the most flourishing cities of the nation and is the capital of Telangana. Before independence, Hyderabad in fact was the property of the Nizam, under whose patronisation the Rajakars, a ruthless communal gang openly massacred the Hindus. The Nizam even refused to be a part of India after independence. It was only because of ‘Ironman’ Sardar Ballavbhai Patel’s initiative that Hyderabad became a part of India. The Rajakars were dealt with an iron hand by Patel. But of late it appears as if there remain a few leftovers of the then Rajakars, who have resurfaced as AIMIM, a so -called secular regional political party under one Asaduddin Owaisi, whose body is in India, but heart and soul are in Pakistan. His open diatribe against the present central government under the guise of secularism is a pointer in this direction.

Joel Goyari,

Tangla

Beware of biscuit gangs

Drugging train passengers and then robbing them of their valuables is an old modus operandi practiced by notorious gangs. Some passengers of the Vasco-Hazrat Nizamuddin express were relieved of their cash and mobiles after being targeted by a gang in Londa near Belagavi the other day. The activities of the infamous “biscuit gang” is still fresh in memory, where gullible travellers were targeted with biscuits laced with drugs. The effects of a few drugs are so severe that a couple of passengers regained consciousness after hours, only to find their valuables stolen. These gangs, sometimes, appear suave and sophisticated with children in tow to give a “family touch” to them. No doubt refusing to accept food and drinks from strangers is the best way to be safe and secure.

However, an alert passenger should also have a keen eye to spot something fishy. These gangs are on the prowl when it’s festival season in India, when trains are packed to their capacity. Unreserved compartments are the favourites of some gangs. Fellow passengers in adjacent seats or bogies should be more vigilant to spot unusual happenings. Some railway stations in India have a loud speaker announcement system to exhort passengers to be alert and active on trains. It would not be a bad idea for the RPF and GRP personnel to personally spread awareness among passengers. One also cannot rule out the possibility of the dangerous robberies taking place with the connivance of a few unscrupulous Railway officials.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

Akola