MyVoice: Views of our readers 2nd April 2024

Kejriwal cannot administer from jail

The simple option for Arvind Kejriwal is to nominate his successor till he is absolved in the corruption case. Even if he was paranoid not to nurture a second line of leadership, his own instinct may be to name his wife as Chief Minister, and he should not hesitate to do so as Lalu Prasad Yadav had also named his wife Rabri Devi as his successor when he went to jail in the fodder scam. As it is, his wife has been reading out messages from Kejriwal, allegedly smuggled out from prison, with big photographs of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh opportunistically hung in the background. The business of government in the national capital cannot remain in limbo indefinitely even as Kejriwal goes through exploring legal remedies for his release.

Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar

AP Oppn draws ire of pensioners

AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, soon after assuming the august office in 2019, brought out first of its kind volunteer system in the country. One volunteer is assigned 50 households across the state. They are paid monthly nominal honorarium. The volunteers are messagengers between the government and the people. So, they are neither policy makers nor decision makers. But they deliver the intended service at doorstep of the public. It is very useful system for the old, illiterate and differently abled people. Hitherto they faced many hardships in receiving their monthly social security pension by waiting in open places bearing scorching sun and rain. The volunteers rendered yeoman service during Covid 19. Recently, one opposition candidate compared them to Jihadi terrorists, bombers and sleeper cells. In the past the JSP president linked them with human traffickers. Even TDP national president also uttered ugly remarks against them. It is very unfortunate to perceive the service-oriented system with political hues.

Pratapa Reddy Yaramala,Tiruvuru

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The double speak of TD leadership was visible throughout the period between 2019 and 2024. TD ridiculed the volunteer system and its electoral ally Jana Sena even questioned the need for such a system when the mandal revenue system was already functioning, and made false accusations about the services of the volunteers. In the run-up to the elections, the TD and JS realised the utility of the volunteer system and promised to continue the same by giving better remuneration to the serving volunteers. By motivating a pro-TDP NGO to file a complaint against the volunteers distributing pensions to the old aged people, the three party alliance did a grave mistake and is now attracting the ire of the pensioners who are now forced to go to the village/ward secretariats for collecting pension instead of volunteers disbursing the same at their doorstep. The volunteers have been involved in campaigning for the ruling party for a long time and this is an open secret. By stopping their services temporarily for a month or two, it makes no difference for the ruling party, as the volunteers are free to move around and campaign.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

The core philosophy of Hinduism

Ref: Aravinda Rao’s ‘IS INDIA THE KARMA BHUMI?’ I would like add that India is not only a Karma Bhumi, but also Bhoga Bhumi, Yoga Bhumi, Jnana Bhumi, Yagna Bhumi, Kartavya Bhumi, Moksha Bhumi, etc. Hindus believe that pleasures and pains are the results of their ‘papa punyalu’ (sins and virtues) in previous births (janmalu) and none can escape from experiencing them in existing life. Even Gods could not. To cite a few examples: Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi, Siva and Parvathi, Rama and Sita, Krishna, etc., though they are incarnations of Brahman, had undergone their ‘Karma Phalams’ in succeeding births. These episodes are lessons to human beings in Kaliyuga to adhere to the principles of Dharma (Righteousness) so that they get no rebirths or ill never fares in their lives. This is the quintessence of our Vedas.

N Ramalakshmi, Secunderabad

Voters must see thru freebie politics

There is absolutely no doubt that the corrupt and the dishonest have to be punished promptly and immediately by the voters but at the same time corruption in other forms also, if any, should not be encouraged/ supported by the voters. The country needs a national peace and voters cannot be always aggressively oriented in any direction for that matter. Issues are still plenty with lots of unemployment and ailing health care everywhere with mounting health costs. The INDIA bloc opposition surprisingly continues to announce freebies to achieve power at any cost. Very frankly they still adhere to the concept of freebies without any confident idea for generating employment or incomes etc even now. The voters, therefore, should not succumb to the temptations of freebies from any party.

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao, Hyderabad