Letters to the Editor: Different positions

Two important leaders of Congress – Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Rahul Gandhi – have two different views regarding the renovation of the historic Jallianwala Bagh. The Wayanad MP Gandhi criticized the renovation of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial. He said it as an insult to those martyrs and went on to state that he knows the meaning of martyrdom because he is the son of a martyr. In the same context, former army man Captain Singh was very pleased with the refurbished historic site as he described it as a nice step by the Union Government. We all know the calibre of Rahul Gandhi and how he is holding onto such an important position inside the party which is primarily due to his surname. He is the chief reason for his party's present precarious position in the country. His habit of criticizing everything without any knowledge on the subject has made him a big joke in national politics.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Massive transformation

Of late, there has been a massive transformation in the mindsets of our sportspersons. Previously, be it cricket, hockey or any other sports, Indians are known to play safe. Their primary motto was to avoid defeat. Earlier, to get the opportunity to represent the nation was the prime target of any sportspersons. Now we could see a massive transformation in the psychology of our sportspersons in almost every sporting event. Today, our athletes contest to win as seen in their recent performances in Olympics or on the cricket ground. With the two recent Test wins in England and our previous tour of Australia Team India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Our PM has certainly become a source of inspiration to our athletes as very often PM Modi interacts with the athletes before or after any international assignment which was not the case in the earlier period. The sportspersons are accorded hero's stature (which they are) by the PM even if they win or lose. A sporting atmosphere must be created in the country where only cricketers are idolized, ignoring the athletes of other disciplines. His political adversaries' only aim is to unseat him at any cost without acquiring the qualities, talents which our PM possesses. His interactions with our athletes on their return from Tokyo Olympic Games over a breakfast session recently must have boosted the morale of our athletes which should teach our opposition to put the interests of the nation above their party. The nation is taking note of all the developments.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Poor road condition

Through the columns of your esteemed daily, I would like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned towards the condition of roads in Dhubri. I am a new visitor staying here for the last fortnight. What struck me is the condition of roads in this town. Barring one or two metalled roads, the rest are brick-laid pavements or no roads at all. The condition of the roads of the locality I am currently living in is pathetic. The roads are full of ruts and potholes. During rains, the roads become full of water. They look like pools of water. Electricity is also a major concern out here. At night, it becomes risky for pedestrians and vehicles to pass the roads. Not a single streetlight works. Garbage is often kept beside roads. A repugnant smell comes out of the garbage. I request the authorities concerned to take necessary measures.

Aaditya Dutta,

Dhubri.

Harassing female MBBS interns

My letter refers to a news item published in your Daily on 5th September 2021, under the caption, "TMCH doctor suspended for harassing female MBBS interns". I am greatly perturbed by this news. Though the Principal has ordered for an inquiry after reports of alleged harassment of female MBBS students was brought to the notice of the Union Minister Smriti Irani, Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Assam Police through social media, but we are still awaiting justice. We have not forgotten the murder of Dr Sarita at AMCH, as such we appeal to the male doctors to follow the guidelines set by Bishakha–versus- the State of Rajasthan and also treat the female doctors as their sisters. Not only this but they are also requested to serve the female patients with cooperation and dignity towards each other so that any other incident of alleged harassment against female doctors by their male contemporaries does not come into the picture otherwise the atmosphere in the educational institutions will get unhealthy.

At the juncture of the 21st Century, it is not expected and acceptable that female working ladies should face any sort of harassment.

Subhash Chandra Biswas,

Tezpur

Orang National Park

Orang National Park is in the news recently as the Government of Assam has restored its original name after dropping former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name. The name of the park now is Orang National Park. But a few leaders of the state Congress opposed this decision. Projecting Rajiv Gandhi as a martyr as has been termed so by Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi is not justifiable. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide squad of the LTTE in May 1991 in retaliation to India's armed intervention in Sri Lanka (1987-1990) against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam). The Indian army contingent fought as Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) against the LTTE in Sri Lanka. The operation of IPKF in Sri Lanka had been severely criticized as a policy failure, inglorious and a dirty little war which resulted in numerous deaths of Indian soldiers and at enormous costs. It was neither the responsibility of the Indian army to intervene in another country's civil war nor the former had any control over the LTTE. One is called a martyr if he/she dies for a great cause, and Rajiv Gandhi does not fit into that category. In the armed intervention in Sri Lanka, it was Rajiv Gandhi's agenda to refurbish his image for gaining political mileage in the domestic constituency; the least is said of IPKF misadventure, the better. I hope the state Congress leaders would gracefully accept the original name of the Park as Orang National Park as apt and correct and, yes that would be the right way to honour sentiments of the state electors who send them as MLA/MP/Minister.

Pannalal Dey,

Guwahati

The rape of a 22-year-old and assault of her friend led to protests all across Karnataka. Out of the six accused one seems to be a juvenile.

A few drunkard boys getting down to hooliganism is not something new to us Indians, especially the Indian female population. It's a country where lack of sex education prevails strongly because of "how to talk about something that happens behind closed doors?", but we end up feeding such a mentality to the extent that forests, malls, roads, toll plazas, temples and buses become their spots of conducting these "activities". It's psychologically proven that a group of men when together are like a bunch of egos coupled together. They can be fatal. It's so easy for them to rape a girl, or throw acid or kill her because they know they can get away with it. Everyday rapes happen to the extent that people want to know "how more brutal can it be", people have started taking pleasure in that pain. Male defenders would come here, and say "not all men are the same" but it's hurtful to know that "all of you aren't different either".

If jokes are to be sent, it has to be about women and their absurd demands, or if you watch a movie with misogynistic jokes you laugh, or at best when you see "men will be men" advertisements your chest swells with pride and laughter rather than disgust- and that is where we feed this mentality.

Khushi Mishra,

A 109 Jal Vayu Vihar,

Bangalore

Yellow journalism

The fundamental objective of journalism is to objectively or neutrally highlight an incident as it happened, at least to try who is good, who is bad, who is the hero, who is the culprit, what happened, and what should have happened not to analyse them. If subjective critics are to be done, they will be limited to the editorial's page.

If a news media is seen doing these things on the main news page, then it is necessary to understand that they are in the allowance of imperialists and supremacists journalism is not their primary objective. The word 'journalist' is a shield of their mischief.

Pranjal Kalita,

Cotton University

Foreclosure-charges

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in response to RTI, mentioned on September 3, 2009, that RBI does not approve the policy of foreclosure charges on pre-payment of loans. The top bank, however, stopped short of issuing any directives. However, foreclosure charges subsequently were abolished in a phased manner starting from the RBI notification issued on June 5, 2012, for home-loans with the last two RBI notifications issued on August 2, 2019. The pre-payment of all loans except business loans, both for banks and NBFCs, was waived.

With the unprecedented economic slowdown, business activities got reduced as normal businessmen under the pressure of loans wish to take a sigh of relief by getting rid of loans of banks or NBFCs by arranging funds by selling assets or otherwise. Many NBFCs are charging foreclosure charges to the tune of abnormally high of 5-per cents plus GST.

The RBI should respect its principle of being against the basic concept of foreclosure charges by immediately abolishing all types of loans both by banks and NBFCs, including business loans and loans with fixed interest rates.

Madhu Agrawal,

Delhi-110006

Trusted and branded bank

The Bank of India was founded on 7th September 1906 by a group of eminent businessmen from Mumbai. The Bank was under private ownership and control till July 1969, when it was nationalized along with 13 other banks. Bank of India, a premier banking institution, has become one of "The Bank of Choices" for corporate medium businesses and upmarket retail customers. The Bank has always been a frontrunner in the area of Priority Sector and Agriculture lending, harnessing the vast potential of the rural market through its wide network. Bank of India is in various stages of readiness, as and when it is ready to take up financial inclusion Bank has been aggressive in financing government-sponsored schemes and achieving all the targets allotted. Bank has also extended reliefs and concessions to MSME borrowers in tune with various packages announced by the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India. Consumer loyalty stems from a consistent focus on being customer-centric. SBI has earned the trust of its customers by staying focused on developing the most relevant products and services from time to time. BOI has managed to build close, personal relationships with clients. Over some time, the bank has developed a synergy between Indian businessmen and local establishments. It has achieved tremendous growth in its retail banking segment consisting of home loans, property loans, as well as business loans. The pioneering role the bank has played in the rural and microcredit areas deserves the highest praise. Preserving, protecting and nurturing trust has been the centrepiece for BOI.

Vinod C Dixit,

Ahmedabad