Opposition strategy
Though the passage of the ‘farm Bills’ in Parliament raises certain questions on the working of democratic processes, especially under the present government, the onus lies on the Opposition to make a sincere effort to inform the stakeholders — through online platforms and other forms of media — about what it perceives to be the adverse impact of the Bills in the short, medium and long term. Vague allegations about the commercialisation of agriculture, akin to what happened under British colonial policy which forced the farmer to grow indigo, will not fetch the desired results. The Opposition cannot expect an Indigo revolt in the 21st century without adequate mobilisation through sustained, systematic communication lines and the grass-root level participation of farmers and social organisations.
Rohan Dixit,
New Delhi
Cartoon in The Hindu
It appears that top officials in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) have unnecessarily taken offence over the cartoon appearing in The Hindu (OpEd page, September 22), about the state of affairs in the FCI (‘Letters to the Editor’, September 24). The cartoon in question is open to multiple interpretations. To my mind, the cartoonist intended to convey a covert message through the cartoon with rats or rodents who appear to rattled by the farm Bills. The rodents represent not just the four-legged ones but presumably also the two-legged ones. While what the four-legged ones account for may be just pilferage, the loss by way of theft by the two-legged ones may run into millions of tons . The FCI may be well equipped to minimise the losses, but the same thing cannot be said about the two-legged ones as there may be a network actively involved in rackets whose ingenuity to outsmart any surveillance and detection is just fantastic. Moreover, in the backdrop, one sees an FCI signboard which has been scored out and written with a line that says ‘Private Warehouse’. One has to take into account the totality of the elements of a cartoon to make sense of it. Contrary to what the FCI letter claims about the high standards of storage and maintenance of FCI warehouses, reports of damage to foodgrains, pilferage and even thefts are not uncommon. A long time, a leading news daily even published a shocking story of what it called the ‘great grain robbery’, forcing the government on the backfoot. I do not claim to have decoded the cartoon in question but all I am suggesting is that the cartoon is not just about four-legged rodents. However, only the cartoonist should be able to clarify it. Perhaps the Readers’ Editor, The Hindu should ask the cartoonist to step in when there is a sharp criticism of his work.
M. Jameel Ahmed,
Mysuru
Narcotics and actors
It appears that the fabled Indian film industry in wrapped in the tentacles of the narcotics trade. But is what is happening only the tip of the iceberg, with only the small fish being caught in the NCB’s net? Are the crocodiles still lurking free? The time is ripe for start a huge clean up before the woods are reduced to ashes.
P.K. Varadarajan,
Chennai
Drug abuse and drug peddling should be dealt with seriously. Some Members of Parliament who were once film actors themselves should not be possessive or defensive about alleged drug use in Bollywood as they must remember that their days in the film industry were vastly different from what it is now. Many actors alleged to be involved with narcotics are also ‘role models’ and ‘ambassadors’. They too must realise the impact they will have on society and youth. The message must be clear —say no to drugs and drug abuse.
T. Kailash Ditya,
Hyderabad
It appears that the fabled Indian film industry in wrapped in the tentacles of the narcotics trade. But are the crocodiles still lurking free? The time is ripe for a huge clean-up before the woods are reduced to ashes.
P.K. Varadarajan,
Chennai
COVID-19 and after
With only a vaccine to our aid, we cannot breathe easy till mid-2023 — the year when we can start measuring the benefit of total pan-India vaccination, provided we work with super efficiency and focus. Our daily case counts will continue indefinitely even if we keep to the 10-lakh testing level. We are in the 1918 trap now, with no vaccine and no medicines. But unlike 1918, we have advanced medicinal chemistry. We need to rid society of fear, without which a revival is difficult.
M. Balakrishnan,
Bengaluru
