Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

Friday, 05 February 2010 18:30

Letter from the Editor-In-Chief

February 2010

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar recently inaugurated the 12th North East Region Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference which was held at Shillong. The Conference is an annual event which seeks to address the problems faced by the Northeastern states on their way to development. It is no secret that development can only occur under conditions of peace and this was acknowledged at the Conference when most of the Speakers from the various states stated the well known fact that insurgency has been a major hurdle that is yet to be overcome by the North East. Sadly though, the Conference, even through 12 years of talks, is yet to come up with a decisive way of stopping insurgency. I feel that this Conference is a great opportunity to address this problem and that a lot more can be done. It is therefore quite strange to me that such a momentous event is concluded within a period of 48 hours and that too, with no concrete strategy being arrived at. In fact, I feel that this year’s Conference was more or less a formality. In light of the recent developments regarding Bangladesh, it is strange that insurgency was not discussed in greater detail.
Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s recent visit has opened a lot of doors and has paved the way for a mutually beneficial relationship between India and Bangladeh. Moreover, it has greatly hampered the ability of insurgent groups to launch cross – border operations from Bangladesh as Sheikh Hasina has assured India of unprecedented support in curbing the menace of insurgency. Avenues have also opened up when it comes to trade and commerce. The Chittagong and Mongla ports in Bangladesh, access to which had hitherto been denied to India have now been opened up and this augurs well for the economic development of India as a whole and the North East in particular. Sheikh Hasina has definitely gone the extra mile to bridge the gap between the two neighbouring countries.
Speaking of going the extra mile, there are two people in this month’s edition of Eastern Panorama who I feel need to be commended in this regard. The first is Sandeep Bachhe from Mumbai who, despite having little to spare is working tirelessly to make this world a better place. The other is Uddhab Bharali from Assam who has been instrumental in the technological advancement of the region and who has brought fame to India through his innovative inventions. If these people can do so much in spite of the trials they face on their way to greatness, what is stopping our politicians who wield so much power from doing more? What is stopping all of us from being more than we are today?