Letters to the Editor: Provide women’s reservation without delimitation

Provide women’s reservation without delimitation

The Narendra Modi-led BJP government's dream of implementing delimitation through the “Nari Shakti Bandhan Act” has not become a reality. The 131st Constitutional Amendment was the first amendment of the ruling party in this term, but it failed to get the required two-thirds support in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier, in 2023, the BJP government had passed a bill to reserve one-third of seats for women in the central parliament and state legislative assemblies. Although there was a full opportunity to implement it in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Modi government did not do so. Instead, the government supported implementing it only after the next delimitation process.

However, it is easy to understand that there may be some hidden intention behind this decision. Delimitation aims to guarantee equality and equal opportunity for every citizen, even if it may not be a popular opinion. But past experiences show that it often benefits the ruling party.

It is also important to note that the decisions of the Delimitation Commission cannot be challenged in any court. If the BJP government truly had the intention to provide reservation for women, it should not have linked such an important issue with a complex and time-consuming process like delimitation. Another fact is that the BJP gives fewer tickets to women candidates. The Lok Sabha has only 31 women among the 240 BJP MPs, accounting for less than 13%. On the other hand, Congress has slightly more than 14% of female MPs. The Samajwadi Party also has a higher percentage of women MPs than the BJP. Trinamool Congress is at the top, with 11 women out of 29 MPs, which is about 38%. Overall, reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is crucial, just like in the Panchayat system. To make women more active and empowered in politics, this reservation is necessary. So, instead of complicating the issue by linking it with delimitation, it would be better to implement it immediately in the present system.

Arshad Ali,

Guwahati

Precautions over earphone use

People, mostly young ones nowadays, use earphones for hours. This habit of mass earphone use has increased significantly in work, travel, entertainment, and gaming. Today, it has become necessary, but do we ever think that constant exposure to loud noise can cause damage to the delicate cells inside the ears? Failing to take timely precautions can severely impair one's hearing ability and result in significant health risks in the future. Secondly, noise-cancellation earphones have given rise to accidents due to low awareness of one's surroundings. Unless adequate precautions are taken, the earphones will soon be replaced by hearing aids among the young people. The sooner we contemplate this issue and create awareness about its side effects, the wiser step it will prove to be to save the young generation from the imminent danger.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

A visit to your old school

When you visit your school after decades, you encounter not only your forgotten past but also a chapter filled with memories of your best days. As you enter the gate, you see yourself playing on the grounds and hear a friend shouting for the ball to be passed to him. Today the field is empty, but the roar still echoes in your ear. When you see the walls, they call your name, and the corridor calls your roll number. The staircase reminds you how many times you have waited there to see your crush, who always remained unaware. As you go towards the canteen, you still see yourself coming there with your friends just to have the snacks which never filled your hunger. When you sit in your classroom, you hear your teacher scolding you for the homework that was not done and try to find the bench where you wrote your name. This is the place where you have never felt ashamed holding your ears a thousand times. Here you have fought and united, but the rants were free from bitterness. It evokes memories of a time when friends recognised you solely by your name and nothing more. And suddenly you realize after some time that this school is the place where you have been a human being. Now you're a doctor or politician, not the one in that sweaty uniform. And when you come out of the gate, your eyes become wet mourning that you have left the school and stepped into the outside world, and things are not as fine as they had been before.

Kabir Ahmed Saikia

Rajabari,Jorhat

Trump’s hyprocrisy

The much-talked-about peace talks between the USA and Iran failed as expected in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, a nation considered the heaven of international terrorism, which gave asylum to Osama Bin Laden. During the talk, US President Trump was strongly pressing for Iran’s denuclearization overlooking Israel’s nuclear doctrine. Trump, as a whole, made a mess of everything, lowering the USA's status and credibility as a superpower. Never before in the history of the USA has any US president behaved like Donald Trump, who is oblivious to his own actions. Trump’s childish acts might prove fatal for global peace in the near future.

Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.