Incendiary talk
It was shocking to see on TV and read about the speeches made at a conclave at Haridwar by some ‘self-styled’ religious leaders and activists. The speeches bordered on downright violence and abuse against the minorities in India. What is worse is even a former Prime Minister of India was verbally targeted. It is astounding that there has been little action in the matter despite the assurance of the police that “action will be taken as per [the] law”.
One also feels compelled to highlight the double standards of the law enforcers when it comes to dealing with such offences. While comedians and prominent individuals find themselves in a spot on the pretext of ‘hurting the sentiments’ of the majority community, little action is seen on the ground when it comes to hate speech by the right wing.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
One only hopes that the Government of India swings into action. It is a fit case for invoking provisions of anti-terror laws, as the incitement to genocide against the minorities poses a grave threat to public order. One expects the Supreme Court of India to intervene in this extremely important, emergent matter.
M. Jameel Ahmed,
Mysuru
For some time now, members from the majority and even minority communities have been getting away with incendiary talk. The top leadership in the country needs to crack the whip and make it clear that it stands by the core constitutional values of the land. There should be no fear or favour in upholding these, and while making it clear that there is no place in India for disturbing and trash-talk.
Vrinda Nair,
Bengaluru
One has been left speechless by the very aggressive talk and chilling words. Why is the top leader who said “ Sabka Saath , Sabka Vikas , Sabka Vishwas , Sabka Prayas ” silent when there is a deep threat to the country’s social fabric?
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad, Haryana
Court’s request on polls
The request by the Allahabad High Court to the Prime Minister and the Election Commission of India to consider postponing the U.P. elections due to COVID-19 is a high point for the Indian judiciary. In this case, the right to life takes precedence over the right to vote. The lessons from the second wave were learnt the hard way, which was caused primarily on account of inaction and utter disregard for the looming danger. Caution pays and better sense needs to prevail now.
A.S. Srinivasan,
Chennai
Change in Chile
Though the going will be tough for the newly elected leader of Chile, it is a morale booster for the leftist movement the world over to savour. Gabriel Boric’s vow to expand social rights with fiscal responsibility proves that he is a visionary leader unparalleled in the history of Chile. That young voters in the country have backed Mr. Boric is proof enough of the continuous rightist exploitation of the masses. ‘ Viva Chile’.
G.B. Sivanandam,
Coimbatore
The victory of Mr. Boric will unarguably boost the morale of the Left. Chile has set the model for the other Latin American countries. Mr. Boric has a daunting task ahead in fulfilling his poll promises.
Kolikonda Sarathbabu,
Khammam, Telangana
Mr. Boric’s emphatic win, largely driven by the country’s millennials amid a deeply polarised poll race, is quite laudable. It is quintessentially a victory for the working classes in Chile. As such, Mr. Boric’s win can provide an impetus for the aspirational generation in India to make a difference in the Indian polity.
G. Ramasubramanyam,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
‘Meendum Manjappai’
It is heartening that the authorities are designing new strategies to address the plastic menace which was almost abandoned in recent times (Tamil Nadu, “Stalin goes green by launching ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme’, December 24). It is worthwhile recalling the past with nostalgia when provision and other stores used newspaper sheets to pack items and materials a customer purchased.
Apart from banning or curbing plastic use, what matters is how we are going to manage its replacement on a huge scale. Experts should come up with not one but more viable and reliable alternatives and substitutes.
This point cannot be ignored.
R. Sampath,
Chennai
