Congress on crisis
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in her expansive interview (Inside pages, “‘We need to work together and mobilise all help for the millions’,” April 30), has said, “the Union government declared a premature victory... The facts staring us in the face were ignored.” Were there really any signs of abatement in the efforts of the Prime Minister to do his best to contain the spread of the virus? On the contrary, he has been working hard to stem the forest fire.
Second, when she says, “it is a reflection of his government’s incompetence, insensitivity and completely distorted sense of priorities”, it indicates that the Congress party is always determined to perceive things with jaundiced eyes alone.
The gist of the replies by Mrs Gandhi give a clear picture of the unalloyed hostility and animosity of the Congress to find fault with the BJP.
Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai
It is heartening to find the Congress president giving words to the need for a united fight against the calamity sweeping the nation. Yes, it is time that all political parties, irrespective of their ideologies and ruling in different States, should adhere to one standard procedure in containing the grave crisis. Politics has no room in this national disaster.
V.S. Ganeshan,
Bengaluru
Vaccination drive
Even a person with an elementary knowledge of the law of demand and supply theory of economics would have known that given the availability of vaccines and the likely inflow, it would be an impossible task to commence vaccination for those aged above 18 from May 1. There has been little time for the States to get the logistics in place in addition to the job of the procurement of vaccines at affordable prices. Moreover, in the four States where elections were held, we could be looking at a situation of having care-taker governments. It would take at least a week from now for the new governments to be sworn in. During this interregnum, no outgoing government, unless confident of a comeback, would negotiate on prices for fear of a backlash later. Health workers, already battered and bruised, should not be put to any inconvenience due to tempers rising in vaccination centres over the unavailability of vaccines. States financially not well off may not be able to obtain vaccines at affordable prices which may be cornered by more affluent States.
V. Subramanian,
Chennai
ECI’s conduct
While we admit that the Election Commission of India was a mute spectator to the huge rallies conducted by political parties, the chiding by the honourable judges should also be taken as a knock on the heads of all the tall leaders of the political parties who led such huge rallies and even expressed jubilation over the congregation of huge crowds, keeping only electoral victory in mind.
The common man is not surprised by the soft pedalling of the ECI of late in the violation of rules and regulations by political parties, more so by the ruling dispensation.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Accountability, and now
It is with a deep sense of anguish, pain and mistrust that I write this letter. It is 74 years since we attained Independence from the British, but how far has the common man of India made any progress? The Indian citizen is still in the clutches of greedy, irresponsible and insensitive power mongers.
The Indian politician needs us only during election time. In the traumatic experience of the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we need to wake up and start questioning our politicians. Otherwise, there is no hope for us.
V.V. Raja Rao,
Visakhapatnam
