MyVoice: Views of our readers 9th August 2023

No trust motion a foregone conclusion

That the Modi government will survive the current no confidence motion is a foregone conclusion. We don’t have to wait for the actual voting to know who will win the trust vote. Still it cannot be deemed to be an exercise in futility as the animated speeches during the debate spotlight important issues that otherwise would not have got the attention they deserve and enliven national politics. It is clear that the Opposition alliance called INDIA has used the no trust vote as a tool ‘to compel’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Parliament and speak on the Manipur issue. Sad to say, he was not moved by the loss of lives, displacement and suffering engendered by the ethnic conflict in Manipur to visit the state or address in detail concerns about ethnic clashes in Manipur in the Parliament and appeal for peace. The absence of the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha has not deterred the BJP MPs from asking why Rahul Gandhi was not speaking. The BJP did its best to ensure that Rahul Gandhi was kept away from the Parliament. Now it has developed a sudden interest in listening to his speech. The Prime Minister attended the BJP parliamentary party meeting, but bunked off Parliament. His appearance in the Parliament has become a rarity. It was certainly an evasion of his responsibilities as the Prime Minister. Gaurav Gogoi’s stinging attack on the government set the tone for the debate. When the Prime Minister breaks his silence on Thursday, the nation will listen to him with rapt attention.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Delhi Bill anti democratic

Passing of the Delhi Bill could be described as draconian in the sense that it aims to take away the powers of a legally elected government in a State of the Union of India. The NDA government at the Centre is unable to dislodge AAP from power and therefore it has taken to this root map in order to destabilise the Delhi government and thus make it unpopular among the electorate. There is no point in taking over the powers from the State government where the transfers and postings of officials are concerned and the Centre has started an unpopular trend in this regard for which it might pay the price sooner than later. Unfortunately a good majority of the bureaucrats in the country willingly toe the line of the ruling party which is a sad state of affairs. The country is facing numerous problems/issues because of this trend i.e, bending backwards to please the masters, as such it is time to put a full stop to it. Instead, if the ruling NDA wants to circumvent the system through one amendment after another, the entire system would get vitiated making the people suffer avoidable misersies. I think Modi & Co. have taken a wrong step in this regard.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

II

Both the houses of the Parliament have approved the bill, which shifts the control over Delhi’s bureaucracy to the Union government. This bill is completely unconstitutional, undemocratic and assault on the regional voice and aspirations of the people of Delhi. It violates all principles of federalism, all norms of civil services accountability and all models of assembly-based democracy. The BJP which itself used to make promises before assembly elections to give the national capital status of full statehood, now is bringing the bill against it. This shows the hypocrisy of BJP that how low can it go for self interest.

Hassan Khan, Mumbai

Bulldozer justice likely to be ethnic cleansing

Presently, Punjab and Haryana High Courts after noticing bulldozer justice in the riot-stricken place directed Haryana state government to stop the demolition altogether although illegal structures alone are involved. It is noticed that ongoing communal violence between Hindu and Muslim communities is linked to bulldozer justice and that prompted court to wonder whether it amounts to ethnic cleansing? An impartial evaluation of entire episode exposes that ongoing ethnic violences in Manipur and Haryana have transformed as biggest head-ache to Modi-led central government.

B Veerakumaran Thampi, Thiruvananthapuram

Strategic minerals mining by Pvt sector is a threat

Parliament passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, in a bid to attract private sector investment in the exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals in the country. The Bill puts six minerals, including lithium — used in electric vehicle batteries and other energy storage solutions — into a list of “critical and strategic” minerals. The exploration and mining of these six minerals, previously classified as atomic minerals, were restricted to government-owned entities. The move to pass the bill is critical and strategic.

Shanthi Ramanathan, Ghaziabad, UP