The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, June 5, 2001, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I L B A G

Victory of Left-Right Front

One finds it difficult to disagree with what Mr Hari Jaisingh has written "The new bhadralok at Writers’ Building"(May 18) with regard to the CPM’s new mantra i.e. pragmatism.

The replacement of an Oxonian Kaistha by a lowly home-bred Brahmin and making it a virtue of the necessity was certainly a master-stroke to beat the poor Brahmin, Ms Mamata Banerjee.

However, a couple of other instances would further enrich our understanding of the CPM’s style of developing Marxism.

The share-choppers in the rural West Bengal had been handed over the possession of pieces of agricultural land by launching the much-trumpeted Operation Barga but the titles of those holdings are yet to be transferred in their respective names in full. Any number of conclusions can be drawn from this. One such is to enable the CPM to keep these beneficiaries under perpetual obligation.

In contrast one is reminded of the land reforms carried out by Dr Y.S. Parmar in old Himachal Pradesh, Mr Brish Bhan in Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) and Mr Sheikh Abdullah in Jammu and Kashmir who made tenants as the lawful owners in one go by enacting the appropriate pieces of legislation actualising the slogan of “land to the tiller” of the Indian National Congress and the National Conference.

In Kolkata one comes across hundreds of man-yoked rickshaws as a mode of transport. It is heart-rending to see the two-legged “oxen” bare-foot, with scarce clothing on their persons, in the scorching sun, running at speed to carry “Bhadraloks” to their destination. The comrades there react by derisively saying that these rickshaw-pullers are Biharis and not Bengalis. That amply demonstrates the Left Front’s concern and deep love for the people.

The Left Front victory in the West Bengal is grossly deceptive, illusory and disinformative.

Battlelines between the Left Front and Mamata had been drawn much earlier. In the meantime the Congress also recorded some signs of comeback in the various local body institutions. Mamata had approached Mahajot to rope in the parent Congress along with the NDA to fight out the Left Front which never saw the light of the day and instead created convulsions here and there. Mamata preferred to join hands with Sonia Gandhi and abandon the NDA. How could the BJP stomach this? It made Mamata Banerjee its only target of attack.

A slanderous campaign was unleased against her by none other than Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. The political atmosphere in the state, especially the urban areas, was surcharged with anger. It underwent a qualitative change so dramatically that the fight at the ground level got converted into the TC-INC combine versus the LF plus NDA. In other words, all anti-Congress forces were arrayed against the Mamata-Sonia duo.

So in West Bengal it is not the Left Front which has retained power on the basis of so-called performance but it is the victory of anti-Congressism. To put it bluntly, it was an undeclared, unholy alliance of the Left Front and the rightist reactionaries.

This is the real face of the CPM’s pragmatism. The defeat at Satgachia- the constituency so long represented by Jyoti Basu — and the decrease in the number of seats and votes of the Left Front cannot be dismissed as inconsequential.

HAR GOPAL SINGH, Solan

Citizens’ ‘telecom’ rights
The World Telecom Day was celebrated recently. While the authorities have made many promises, subscribers on their part should understand their rights and responsibilities. The Citizens’ Charter issued by the Department of Telecom and the Department of Telecom Operations, gives subscribers the right to redressal of complaints, time-bound norms set by the department for installing new connections, repairing dead phones, shifting telephones etc.
Any deviation from implementing this Charter will be obviously a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act. Therefore, subscribers will be in a position to file a complaint under the Consumer Protection Act against the department as also the officials concerned and claim compensation. It is suggested that subscribers should obtain a copy of the Citizens’ Charter from DTS, Sanchar Bhavan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi, and make full use of this Charter to see they get the services they are entitled to. The best way of improving the services is by subscribers insisting on their rights.
M. R. PAI, Mumbai

Job letters not fake

This refers to the letter “Taken for a ride with job letters" (May 24). A dismissed employee of our firm was responsible for defaming our firm. I was never arrested. We have never received any complaints from our clients. Those who have made irresponsible statements against our firm whether in Canada or outside will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The job letters are valid and have been endorsed by the Human Resources Department of Canada.

SAM BASRA, Ontario, Canada

Agriculture education

Students of colleges of agriculture in Punjab and Haryana are on an agitational path for agriculture is being introduced as a separate subject in schools and colleges.

Let there be agriculture teachers in schools and colleges. They can be given a consolidated salary of about Rs 5,000 a month which will be half of what the teachers in other subjects get in the graded pay scales.

These agriculture teachers can be assigned the duty of agriculture extension workers also to cater to the needs of farmers in villages around schools.

A senior teacher of plus two classes draws about Rs 16,000 pm. If one such teacher retries, he can give place to three or four agriculture teachers.

RISHI KUMAR, Khalsa College, Amritsar

Live-in relationship

The Allahabad High Court judgement in the Payal Sharma case will create problems for parents. The judges have not fully realised social implications of the judgement. Living together by male and female adults is not only considered bad but the relationship also carries a social stigma. I do not find the judgement a healthy one.

UJAGAR SINGH, Chandigarh

“Yeh Dil Kya Kare”

Zee channel soap “Yeh Dil Kya Kare” depicts an illicit relationship between a maternal uncle and his niece. One scene of seduction by the niece of his maternal uncle was aired at least for two minutes. What has happened to the censor board or the I&B Ministry?

KIRAN RAI KALIA, Karnal

G.N.D varsity posts

Recently Guru Nanak Dev University advertised about 100 posts for recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff. The last date for applications is stated to be June 8, 2001. Interviews would possibly start in the first week of July. The term of the present Vice-Chancellor is to expire on July 22.

Is it morally and legally correct for an outgoing VC to advertise such a large number of posts at the fag end of his tenure?

SARJINDER SINGH, Amritsar