[Reader-list] FW: ATTEMPT OF TARNISHING GUJARAT IMAGE

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Bipin jee

My views:

1) I have already stated and I would repeat it: let us debate and discuss
not through using perceptions (although they are important and their forming
is not wrong), but through statistics or logical arguments. To state that
SC/ST and Muslims are poor because of themselves, without any statistic to
back you, or any logical arguments doesn't bring about any value of the
things which you have said, to this debate or discussion.

The same can be said about the rest of the mail too, particularly when
reservation is being claimed as a method to increase one's own section of
the population.

2) Secondly, the very subject title as tarnishing Gujarat's image is
absolutely wrong. Different people can have different images of Gujarat. For
a person like you, Gujarat may be in the Golden era. For me, it can be in
the Disaster era. For someone else, it may be same as say Maharashtra.
Gujarat has as many images as people wish to see. Just because my thoughts
or my reading or interpretation of events doesn't support your image of
Gujarat, doesn't mean that the image of Gujarat is tarnished. (though in
your eyes it may remain that way because how I look at it doesn't support
your theory or perception)

Yes, you can say that lies are being spread about Gujarat. But to the best
of my knowledge, there are no lies being spread about Gujarat on this forum.
I, and even others, have used data from relevant and authentic sources to
put across the same.

3) The arguments made by you make it seem like you are an insider in
administrative politics. I am not one to comment on whether Railway reform
was ongoing or not, and right now I don't have facts (or the time to find
them out) regarding railway reforms being carried out or not. What I do know
about Laloo being the Railway Minister is this:

i) all long distance trains were declared as Superfast trains by him, and
hence for each train, passengers who reserved seats had to pay the Superfast
charge. This was not the case before he became the Railway Minister.

ii) Earlier, for freight transport, there were certain restrictions to be
followed as per law, regarding the tonnage limits of any wagon. These were
relaxed.

The end result was higher earnings of the Railways Ministry. I even don't
know what's the argument about accounting formula used under him, which was
brought to notice by Mamata Banerjee in her white paper.

4) I haven't met anybody in my life who believes that due to reservation
being provided to his/her community, he/she should produce more children. So
I can't comment on that. May be you can advise such people to understand
such things are dubious for their own health and their own economic
standards.

Rakesh