CM candidate for TN
By announcing in the presence of the Home Minister that the party will continue its alliance with the BJP for the 2021 Assembly polls, the AIADMK seems to be falling into the trap set by the BJP to bring the regional party under its fold. The irrefutable fact is that the AIADMK is a major regional party with a large following. The BJP, though a national party, has relatively little support in the State. So, the statement that the BJP will decide the chief ministerial candidate in Tamil Nadu is not reasonable (“Jayakumar rejects Javadekar’s view on CM candidate issue,” Dec. 27).
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
State interference
Citizens have a right to practice a religion of their choice as well as choose a partner of their choice. It is astonishing that Madhya Pradesh has now given its nod for an anti-conversion Bill (“M.P. Cabinet nod for anti-conversion Bill,” Dec. 27). How these seemingly unconstitutional Bills will stand the constitutional test in court remains to be seen.
James Arputharaj Williams,
Bengaluru
What kind of a democracy is this where a boy and a girl cannot fall in love, marry and live life peacefully without government interference? In U.P., a couple, Rashid and Pinki, married consensually, and Pinki converted to her husband’s religion. Rashid has been arrested and Pinki has been moved into a shelter home. Inter-faith couples are going to be facing the additional problem of state harassment now. To make matters worse, sections of the media call this “love jihad”. The fact that this is happening State after State is really worrying. India is not a theocracy.
Arshi Rahil,
Uttar Pradesh
Still no 4G
Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls the DDC polls a new chapter in democracy, yet the government keeps extending the 4G Internet ban in J&K (“PM: DDC polls a new chapter in democracy,” Dec. 27). Access to Internet is a fundamental right and the ban has been hampering J&K’s developmental prospects.
V.S. Sindhuri,
Kakinada It is amusing to watch the BJP call the DDC polls a victory of democracy after the party suffered a massive setback. Democracy is exactly what the party destroyed in August 2019. Dissolving the State Assembly and keeping leaders of the erstwhile State under home arrest is not happens in a democracy. Opposition leaders claimed they were not allowed to campaign in these polls. Despite that the Gupkar Alliance won big. This shows the people’s anger against the shabby treatment meted out to the former State.
V.S Aboobaker,
Mumbai
