Opposition’s role in revealing the Vote Chori scandal is undoubtedly praiseworthy. Rahul Gandhi gave a demo of Vote Chori in the press conference with concrete evidence of a constituency in Maharashtra, where a house with only two to three people living had 80 names added to the voter list. He also highlighted many more pieces of evidence of Vote Chori.
Instead of looking into his charges, the ECI asked him to apologise or submit an affidavit to prove his allegations. But Rahul Gandhi seems more determined to reach the citizens of the country and tell them that their right to vote has been stolen, and that governments at the state or country level are being formed illegally.
For this very purpose, he started a rally in Bihar and is conveying a message to Bihar voters to fight for their rights, where, in the process of SIR, 650,000 voters’ names have been deleted. The irony is that some were declared dead who are actually alive, some of whom were dramatically presented in the Supreme Court.
It’s time to fight for our rights!
Dr. Mohammad Ekramul Hassan
Gaya, Bihar
Unsafe Roads in Goa, Cosmetic Fixes Won’t Save Lives
I am writing to you regarding the unsafe condition of Goa’s roads, which clearly shows that cosmetic fixes won’t save lives.
The condition of Goa’s roads, especially around Davorlim and Colmorod, is alarming. Overflowing drains and rain-filled potholes make daily commuting unsafe. Recently, a moped carrying a man and child toppled over. Fortunately, they escaped serious injury, but incidents like this show the everyday risks that citizens face.
What adds insult to injury is the glaring double standard, when a minister recently visited Goa, roads were suddenly repaired overnight. Once the visit ended, maintenance was abandoned, leaving citizens to suffer again. This tokenism highlights a governance style more concerned with appearances than public safety.
It is distressing that locals now plant saplings in potholes to alert commuters, an act of desperation in the absence of accountability. The PWD and civic bodies must move beyond temporary patchwork. Goa needs lasting road repairing and effective drainage management, not cosmetic fixes only for VIP visits.
Maryam Hibah
Secretary, GIOMargao Unit
Encroached Government Lands in Assam
A leading English daily of Assam has reported that Assam’s forestlands measuring 76000 hectares along the borders of its neighbouring states — Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya — have been encroached by these states for decades and these states have now started farming tea, rubber and palm oil and even setting up their offices on these encroached lands. The Assam Government has so far taken no bold steps so as to bring its encroached lands back.
Assam Government has of late taken measures to evict its lands —forestlands, farmlands, pastures, marsh and wetlands —encroached by the people who have lost their residential areas and cultivable lands due to massive erosions caused by the flood waters of the River Brahmaputra every year. Losing their present houses and lands being ruined by the government machinery, the evicted are now confronted with an untold misery, forcing them to move from one place to another in search of foods and shelters across the state. Instead of rehabilitating them, the evicted are now branded as suspected ‘Bangladeshi nationals’ by some Hindutva organisations, including the BJP-led government of Assam.
Now two questions arise: “Why has the government, just before Assam assembly election 2026, taken so much strenuous actions for restitution of its lands encroached by its flood–affected landless people while it is silent spectator towards its border lands encroached by its neighbouring states for decades? Which encroached lands need first priority for its reclaiming from the encroachers?
Muhammad Abdus Samad
Ambari Dhupdhara, Assam