Students debate smaller states

SHILLONG, SEPT 14: College students deliberated on the pros and cons of creating smaller states in India as they took part in the 16th Dr MM Das Memorial Debate Competition organized by the Zenith Jubelieth Club with motion before the house being “Division of India into smaller  states will ensure better governance.

The team from St. Edmund’s College, comprising Saurav Holme Choudhury and Prantoo Saikia won the prestigious champion’s trophy in the oldest running debate competition in the city. Daisingam Kamei and James Markkerr of St. Anthony’s College together bagged the 1st Runner Up  trophy, while Abhishek Das and Kavita Keisham of St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School were  adjudged 2nd Runners Up.

Adjudged by an eminent panel of jury, comprising Jaya Bhattacharjee, Binayak Duttta and  Shyamaprasad Bhattacharjee, the debate generated animated arguments with issues such as  creation of Telangana and closer home the demand for Gorkhaland, Bodoland and Garoland being brought up by students representing eleven educational institutions in the city.
Several of those opposing further fragmentation of India quoted from Rabindranath Tagore,  “Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls”, even as  other quoted Mahatma Gandhi – “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for  everyone’s greed.”

Speaking for the motion, several students argued that creation of smaller states would bring administration closer to the people. “State boundaries are not frozen in time,” one of the  debators maintained, adding that the States Re-organization Commission allowed for creation of  smaller states in keeping with the rising aspirations of the people.

Guest speaker Prof. Abhijit Choudhury dwelt on several socio-economic, political and historical aspects of India as “a nation in the making” and raised debatable questions on the  very notion of ‘governance’.

Speaker, Prof. Ananya Shankar Guha summed up the debate by observing that India indeed was itself an ‘argument’.

Put to vote, the house defeated the motion, signaling an overwhelming mandate for a united India. – By Our Reporter