Chaos
in Israel
Israel finds itself gripped by fresh chaos after the country’s Parliament gave the green light to a bill aimed at cutting down the powers of the judiciary. The Knesset gave its formal approval to a law that prevents the courts from reviewing government and ministerial decisions. It is the first major bill of the government’s judicial overhaul to pass into law. The move has met with expected resistance from activists, who find it a direct takeover of the judiciary by the political community. The protests on Jerusalem streets gave an indication of major unrest in the country, thus making the next few days extremely difficult for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The PM has just come out of the hospital and now faces the prospect of intense grilling by activists and the Opposition parties. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has declared that he would be moving the court against the approval, which means Netanyahu has a tricky challenge of keeping his flock together while going ahead with the next phase of the bill. Given the fragile nature of the ruling coalition and growing opposition from the general public to the bill, the road ahead is not easy for Netanyahu. For Israel, it would mean another vulnerable moment of uncertainty.
J Bhukkaredi,
Guwahati.
Future of BVFCL
‘Once bitten, twice shy’. The fate of two paper mills is a case in point. Forget about others. No other than the Prime Minister showered promises in various election rallies to run the mills as profit-making organizations. We saw what happened. It is for sure that the promise to run BVFCL may run up to the Parliamentary election. Finally, it may culminate in a ‘Jumla’. Politicians in Delhi know how to hoodwink the ‘gullible’ people of the Northeast in general and the Assamese in particular. Till then, keep your fingers crossed.
Prafulla Dowarah,
Guwahati.
The three burning states
Right now, there are three states in India that are always in the news for the wrong reasons. They are as follows: Rajasthan, the land of the famous Rajputs known for their bravery and patriotism, has become a state where women are not safe, as crimes against women like rape, molestation, and physical abuse in particular have almost become routine, leaving aside the political strife within the ruling party. Second comes West Bengal, once the cultural capital of the nation. It was once said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. Political rivalries among the political parties have made West Bengal a state where murder, rape, arson, etc. have almost become regular affairs, and its Chief Minister’s name is grossly mismatched because of her overly secular policy of appeasement towards a particular religious community. And finally, Manipur, a state that produces so many national as well as international sportspersons, has now become an inferno where anything lawful is burned to ashes and crimes against humanity have crossed all limits. But unlike Rajasthan and West Bengal, ethnic violence seems to be the root cause, which is highly politicized by the politicians. Is martial law the only solution? Only time will tell.
Dr. Ashim Chowdhury,
Guwahati.
Strange logic
APCC President Bhupen Borah, in his recent byte to some news channel, said that love jihad is not new, but it was practised even by Lord Krishna when he came from Dwarka to marry Rukmini in the guise of a woman. According to Borah, the general public should not be concerned about love jihad, as it is absolutely not unlawful. What a logic presented by Bhupen Borah, indeed. I thank the wise voters of Bihpuria for repeatedly rejecting Bhupen Borah in assembly elections. He was the same person who tore his shirt in front of Darrang DC Court after the illegal encroachers were evicted from Gorukhuti. His love for a particular religious community needs no introduction. Whatever crime they commit, it is no issue for Bhupen Borah and company. Congress only knows how to appease the Muslim community for the sake of the vote bank. Can Bhupen Borah quote anything referring to a religious book or character of Islam? It is so easy for Bhupen Borah to equate the culprit in the triple murder case of Golaghat with Lord Sri Krishna. Leftists, along with the Congress, have over the years always downplayed Hindus and glorified the religion of their vote bank. The earlier history textbooks were full of glorification of the Mughals with little content about Marathas, Ahoms, Cholas, Mauryas, Rajputs, Sikhs,etc. People like Bhupen Borah should give up Hinduism.
Purabi Miri,
Jakhalabandha.