MyVoice: Views of our readers 10th December 2023

Power corrupts, pumps up ego; Must guard against it

The article “Letting Power Go to Head " by V RamuSarma under the caption "Bold Talk" exposes the realities of political arrogance with the tacit support extended by bureaucrats who are ever ready to act as "Yes Minister". The nexus between a politician and a bureaucrat has to be broken. Bureaucrats should remind themselves that they have a long career whereas their political masters and ministers representing parties have an expiry date which is far shorter than that of bureaucrats. Their political masters should also seek the sound advice & help of bureaucrats in running the government rather than bulldozing them into submission for their own irrational self-centered whims & fancies.

The quote made by Arun Jaitely reflects the present realities. The author's article is timely in that it cautions the new Congress government led by A Revanth Reddy to always remain rooted and respect the peoples mandate and never become arrogant both in word & deed.

– NR Raghuram, Hyderabad

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Bold Talk by V RamuSarma is a bold expression of thoughts of every citizen of India. Frustration of citizens is thoroughly understood and presented by RamuSarma."Democracy is a Great Leveller - Those who move up, will also move down " a historical fact but no one cares to remember. Call it arrogance or a well-calculated move, thecentral government has implemented high-risk decisions which had potential to turn the fortunes. Be it demonetization, trifurcation of JK, CAA, NRC, Rahul Gandhi and now Mohua Moitra. It's the peak that decision makers have scaled. It's time to review.

Voters watch every action of politicians, Indira Gandhi was defeated and elected again. BJP had 2 MPs only at one time later rose to 300, Congress lost and won in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, MP and Rajasthan.

As concluded by RamuSarma, it's 5-year assignment, humility is important.

– G SivaRama Krishna, Hyderabad

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Ramu Sharma has correctly said that present-day leaders of every political party after attaining a semblance of popularity and coming to power have only turned arrogant and inaccessible to people. They are invariably seen courting needless controversy by undermining their rivals by passing humiliating remarks unfit to be peoples' representative. The recent instances of cow urine slur and DNA taunt by a DMK MP and a chief minister exposing their arrogance were snubbed only after criticism and widespread condemnation from all quarters. Similarly, Kamalnath's faux pas to score a political point after his hurtful remarks on Akhilesh Yadav raising a banner of revolt was silenced after Congress party's intervention. Also, after having lost hands down in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, it is shameful the arrogance of senior congress leader Digvijay Singh coming into play after he led a protest march in Bhopal finding fault with EVMs and blaming it for the party's rout.

Further, after TMC Mahua Moitra failing to pass the ethics test in the cash-for-query scandal was expelled from Lok Sabha by the Speaker based on the ethics panel recommendation, making a huge and cry is nothing but short-sightedness. Further, Mahua playing victim card and lashing out by saying "Hanged by the Kangaroo court" even after getting a fair hearing to defend herself reveals her height of arrogance. Surprisingly, Congress and INDIA bloc are defending her despite knowing disqualification carried out was proper as per the rules and past practice. Thus, their hypocrisy got exposed. Finally, in the recent raids conducted by IT at the house of a Congress MP found a cash haul of more around Rs 300 crore tumbling from the cupboards saw Congress party fuming, INDIA bloc repeating 'Revenge Raids" and TMC crying foul when in fact it exposed the looters who in the name of eliminating corruption have only been aiding and cheating the nation by amassing ill-gotten wealth. By and large, the sinners must hang their heads in shame instead of claiming to be torchbearer to the legacy of ideals, discipline and embodiment of nationalism and good governance.

– KR Srinivasan, Secunderabad

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This refers to Bold Talk on "Letting power go to head". The essay dragged a big line to study point wise to elicit the critical analysis of the talk. Political arrogance is exhibited with a smile which means it is a negative expression. Here politicians mean men in power. They never say 'no' to solving any problem. They say the issue will be discussed in the Assembly/Parliament or the matter will be brought to the notice of Head of the Government as if these heads are not aware of people's needs. Escapism is thy inbuilt culture. People are experiencing political minds for decades now. Recently concluded elections show that freebies attracted voters more than their intention to change the party in Telangana. Anti-incumbency factor was chosen by non- BRS parties in their campaigns which BRS failed to counter effectively.

– NSK Prasad, Hyderabad

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Yea, as RamuSarma observed in his article, arrogance leads to the fall of a person.The live example was crushing of BRSgovernment by people who patronised it for 10 long years.KCR-KTR duo arrogance reached peaks that both made it a practice to cut everyone to size without observing the political niceties. The cuss language often they used wasear splitting. They took it for granted that the Telangana voters never go against the party.Their series of lies and inaccessibility to the common man brought about their/parties’ downfall. This must serve as lesson to Revanth Reddy, though he too used same crude language throughput the election campaign; it is time for him to polish his language and should decently address the persons or else he may also invite the wrath of people. Revanth is not a Congressman. He is a known turn coat as he changed 2 parties and he has TDP blood flowing in his veins. Let him exercise restraint by shedding arrogance and try to set a good example with his fine behavior and wiseadministration.

– Rama Krishna M, Kakinada

We’re one country; can’t drive a wedge

The unfortunate polarisation sought by politicians to create a spurious North-South divide is the consequence of vicious colonial Aryan-Dravidian narratives. Across millennia, there was every sign of deep cultural interaction between the four corners of Bharatvarsha. “Dravidian” has a meaning either in the old geographical sense or in the modern linguistic sense; racial and separate cultural meanings are unscientific and irrational.

India is a cultural and civilizational state. Sri Aurobindo wrote that “the spiritual and cultural are the only enduring unity” beyond the understanding of the western mind. Despite a decentralised political organisation under various kings, the people had a unifying notion of a nation based on multiple traditions, rituals, mythology, customs, symbols (like Swastika), and Sanskrit for thousands of years.

A dense network of holy places and temples (like the 12 Jyotirlingas, the 52 Shakti Mahapithas, and the 26 Upapithas) created the sacred geography of the country. Bharata views itself as a cultural unit with a federation of sub-identities preserving their individuality and equally contributing to the evolution of a common culture.

Our diversity and acceptance of diversity as a norm define civilizational India. Our nationalism precisely protects the ethos of multiculturalism. Western scholarship demands a political unity of homogenization (like linguistic or religious). States, nations, sovereignty, and nationalism are clearly rooted in European history. The consequences have been nationalism, colonialism, and world wars leading to global plunder and the extermination of local populations. Our nationalism was about absorption, not invasion.

India is a dynamic cauldron of many physical, spiritual, and social components (both Vedic and non-Vedic). Languages as the basis for the reorganisation of states is an artificial and forcible application of the “one language, one nation” theory traceable to Europe. Bharatvarsha has been clearly defined in the oldest scriptures as the land south of the Himalayas and north of the oceans. The Ramayana and Mahabharata, the major tools for integration, describe with deep clarity the length and breadth of the country. We are one country where nationalism rests on different principles. We need the unity we always had, not divisions based on lazy scholarships and narrow political gains.

– Dr Pingali Gopal, Hanamkonda

A BLESSING AND A CURSE

Rain, Rain, go away.,

Don't come, as a dreadful curse

From heavens,

As a dark malefactor

To mankind,

Bursting vengefully,

Lashing relentlessly,

Battering so wildly,

Wrecking crops,

Uprooting trees,

Submerging villages, cities

In the flood of waters

Paralyzing lives

Bringing tears to farmers;

Rain, Rain, come soothingly

And gently as a radiant

Blessing from heavens,

As a childhood bosom-pal,

As a universal benefactor

To all creatures,

Showering flowery, pearly

Raindrops, spreading

The green carpet of vegetation

All over the earth,

Raising abundant crops,

Illumining the visages of farmers,

Bringing cheers to folks.

Dr.Venugopala Rao Kaki, Kakinada

HOW TO LEAD FROM THE BACK

There are umpteen books on leadership in the market."Dare to Lead", "21 Irrefutable Rules of Leadership", "The Leader Who Had No Title","Leadership Shastra","The Mind of The Leader","The Path to Leadership" are some of them.All these books look at the role of a leader,his/her calling,character and challenges from different perspectives.We all know that a time-tested method of leading a group,a business,an army,even a social and political cause is leading from the front.

A bellwether is usually kept at the front to lead a pack or a herd of animals.Some leaders think out of the box and successfully lead his team or company from the back,like a shepherd leading his flock.In fact this concept of leading from the back is gaining momentum these days.Keeping the growing demand for it,Ravi Kant,Harry Paul, and Ross Reck have produced a very useful and instructive book titled, "Leading from the Back to Achieve the Impossible."While Ravi Kant has fifty years of corporate experience to his credit,Harry and Ross are America based well known writers,corporate consultants and powerful speakers.

Success is always sweet,be it in a person's career,business,political life,or personal life.When failures stand before us face to face,most of us are tempted to run away from them.Many of us even think of giving up all efforts to overcome failures.In the very first chapter,the authors say that learning lessons from failures is an essential trait of a good leader.In a business context,it is important for a team leader to see his team members as his equals. A good leader,say the authors,is one who knows that if his team members are treated as children,they behave like children,but if they are treated as adults,they behave like adults.When the manager of a team practises this,he becomes a leader who leads from the back.According to the authors,for leading from the back,a leader must know three important things:1)How should I be?; 2)How should I deal with the team?; 3)How should I deal with the task?This concept makes the theme of the book.

The authors beautifully convey their big idea in the form of a narrative that brings before us some real characters who are struggling to weather challenging professional tasks and issues.

–M Somasekhar Prasad, Hyderabad

Moitra’s expulsion harsh & unethical

The expulsion of a Member of Parliament, Mohua Moitra of Trinamool Congress Party from Lok Sabha on the grounds of contempt of the House and unethical deeds is rather harsh. The punishment seems to be in disproportion to the said crime. She had been charged with contempt as she handed over login details of her official account to others for raising questions in Parliament. But she says that it's common practice with MPs to do so and also such act has not been mentioned in the Rule Book as something against the laid rules. Any way for the common eye, the act of contempt is there in this case, despite it's not mentioned in the Rule books. But it should have been taken differently by the chair having based on its nature, gravity and the damage caused to the institution. As the damage to the dignity or performance of the House is nil, it couldn't have attracted such a stern action. In my opinion the member is wrong and deserves mild punishment for misusing of her position, but she has right; Right to place her version before House.

– Dr DVG Sankara Rao, Vizianagaram

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Trinamul Congress MP who didn't stop raising questions on Adani and PM Narendra Modi's friendship with Adani was expelled from Parliament by the ethics committee in an unethical way. Mahua Moitra has rightly raised the questions in Parliament that why the CBI/ED was not probing the coal scam other charges against Adani Group. The ethics committee's purpose is to be a moral compass for a memberand it cannot expel a Parliamentarian who is elected by people. It is strange that findings are based on testimonies of Mahua Moitra's friend and her estranged partner Jai Anant Dehadrai, but none of them were allowed to be cross-examined. Rahul Gandhi and Mahua Moitra were only two Parliamentarians who brought up Adani issue in Parliament. They tried to disqualify Rahul Gandhi as an MP but failed miserably. Now they have expelled Mahua as Parliamentarian.

– Zeeshan, Kazipet

Heed children’s plea at COP28

Apropos, "Children’s plea to save planet for their safe future," (THI, Dec 9). The climate crisis is not just changing the planet, it is changing children. It is affecting children everywhere – their lives, their communities and their health.The world’s 2.4 billion children are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis – an emergency that is taking lives, eroding children’s rights and threatening their future. Children's bodies and minds are uniquely vulnerable to pollution, deadly diseases and extreme weather, and they are disproportionately affected by the impacts of disasters, environmental degradation and the climate crisis. Yet their needs and perspectives are almost totally absent in climate policies, action and investment at all levels. Hence, children across the world are demanding better access to climate education, more funding for climate-resilient infrastructure and a seat at the table with their voices heard as their governments head to COP28.

Hence,world leaders at COP28, particularly those from high-income countries and historical emitters, should increase climate finance, directing support to children and families for adaptation to the climate crisis and addressing losses and damages. Governments must recognise children as key agents of change and work urgently to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

– N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru

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Childrenare active contributors as agents of change. We have seen children stand up around the world and push for solutions. They have the right to participate in decision making session.The children from Madagascar, Somalia, Serbia, Australia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the US, Barbados, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil spontaneously expressed their genuine concerns and call for immediate solutions from the planet’s top leaders. Their curiosity may influence adults to do enough to help solve the problems of climate change.The children were definitive in their responses: adults must stop fighting and focus on what really matters.

– Raju Kolluru, Kakinada