Letters to the Editor: News Coverage

A section of people who have been regular readers of The Sentinel continue to do so for its boldness in reporting news and its style of presentation. But I am very sorry to inform you that for the last few months, the paper has not been satisfying its readers in one way or another. The news items have been gradually limited to some general items and have failed to cover some required information. In this present digital age, there should not be any problem with the collection of news and its dissemination for the interest of common readers. I am totally disappointed at the standard of publication of today’s newspaper (15 February, Dibrugarh version), where almost 2/3 of the pages were occupied by matters other than required news. This gives the paper the commercial look of an advertising company. I hope and request that you and the team concerned look into the matter and continue to keep up its past glory by incorporating local, national, and international news for the interest of the general public.

Dr. PC Sarmah,

Jorhat

Let the post of governor be ornamental

During the Constituent Assembly for framing the Constitution of the country, there was hot discussion on the post of the Governor, and ultimately it was decided that there would be a post of Governor just to check on the meticulous implementation of the Constitution, otherwise it would be an ornamental post. Recently, the government appointed some governors, but there was a hue and cry over the appointment of retired Supreme Court Justice Nazir, who was also one of the justices who delivered the Ram Janambhumi decision. Earlier too, retired police and intelligence officers went on to occupy Raj Bhavans, but it was the appointment of a retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) as a governor in 2014 that created a new precedent. Another retired CJI was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2020, raising eyebrows. The institution of the governor is a legacy of the British imperial governance structure. The legitimacy of a nominated governor in a democracy was the topic of a heated debate in the Constituent Assembly, but it was carried over into the new republic nonetheless. The Governor was to act as a dynamic link between the Center and the State, but the makers of the Constitution were clear that the posts must remain ornamental, except in very narrowly defined situations in which they were allowed discretion in decision-making. Over the decades, the overreach of governors has become a serious question in centre-state relations and democracy in general. The dominance of the BJP at the Centre since 2014 has added fresh tensions with the States. The BJP has a vision of national unity that causes anxiety among regional interest groups. The office of the governor was to be embellished by the personalities of those who would occupy it. There are a few also who criticize the step of Nazir on the his statements made by him previously. All the parties had appointed various bureaucrats after their retirement and if all parties are serious about it they should pass such regulation in the parliament otherwise such type of controversies will be discussed in the public domain without any meaningful purpose.

Yash Pal Ralan,

Jalandhar 144003