What has BJP really achieved?
As Gulf News pointed out, the current Indian government is getting support from a region that has never supported it before (“BJP continues to break down rival bastions in Indian polls”, Gulf News, March 5). This is right and it is all thanks to their undemocratic ways — they borrowed Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Members of Parliament (MP) and so on. But they should understand the ground reality in India. The current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government cannot boast of any performance improvement in its governance. In all areas, I feel India is travelling backwards. Economic growth is slowing down even though oil price is low, unemployment is increasing day by day, corruption is rampant, especially in the banking sector, the law and order situation is worsening in all states, and mob lynchings have also increased. Our democratic system lost 10 places in the 2017 Global Democracy Index (GDI). The BJP can only boast that it has made the largest state-of-the-art technology party office in the world, within 14 months. Considering all these factors, it is clear that the victories are just some sort of euphoria, based on a religious agenda put forward by the BJP. They will undergo a real litmus test in 2019, when actual facts will speak for themselves.
From Mr Pradeep Kumar
Abu Dhabi
No followers, no leaders
The stunning victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in north-eastern states of India, is a vindication of their religious role in the electoral process. There is a consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP, regardless of how the party performs elsewhere. Minority communities have already successfully practiced this type of political movement in India. In the recently concluded elections, we saw the Communist party losing a substantial portion of their vote share from the Hindu community in favour of the BJP. It is an irrecoverable loss for the party. They cannot hold all religions under one fold anymore. A corruption-free image of the relevant Chief Ministers cannot supersede communal beliefs anymore.
With the next assembly elections in Kerala, the Communist party is all set to become a part of history. Ideological contradictions have caused the erosion of the party’s vote base. Instead of protecting its people, the party tried to protect its leaders. They made so many mistakes, without any intervention from corrective forces within the party. If there are no followers, there will be no leaders, either.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
Enabling women empowerment
International Women’s Day is coming up and it is a reminder of all the work that women have done previously for us, to have a better life. Coming from Goa in India, I feel like I am blessed because there are lots of rules and regulations to provide women with opportunities to grow, like less working hours, more maternity leave and rights to property and children. All this makes a women secure and goes a long way in ensuring that she is a better citizen of the society. Women might be undervalued and underpaid in some places, but things are still getting better and we need to stay positive and keep working towards a better future for us, both at home and at the workplace and thus create a better, more enabled world.
From Ms Remediana Dias
UAE
A long way to go
The United Nation’s (UN) General Assembly’s decision in 2013 to mark third March as World Wildlife Day has been an exemplary move, which was aimed at protecting big wild cats from extermination by poachers and hunters. The rapid urbanisation in many parts of the world, since the beginning of the 19th century, affected the wellbeing of wildlife animals in large amounts, in addition to industrial level of agricultural expansions that encroached on forests, thus pushing away wild animals from their natural habitats. Majestic predators like lions, leopards and tigers are declining in large numbers because of human activities, stealing large swathes of jungles, leaving them without food and restricting their free movement in their environments. Disrupted ecosystems must be brought back to normalcy in order to sustain ecological balance. So, it is the responsibility of every nation to support this initiative taken by the UN. Not only must stringent regulations be enforced to protect wildlife, but a robust campaign must be launched to generate awareness.
From Mr Esmail Mohammad
Dubai
Will always be remembered
Indian actress Sridevi will be remembered by millions of her fans (“Condolences for Sridevi show love has no boundaries”, Gulf News, February 26). She was a wonderful human being and a good actress. She appeared in more than 300 movies throughout her five decade-long career, and some of her renowned movies were Sigappu Rojakkal, 16 Vayathinile, Mom and English Vinglish. I watched her movie Moondram Pirai in the year 1982, when I was in school and Sridevi played an amnesiac. Her acting was brilliant and outstanding. She was considered as India’s first female superstar, however death is inevitable.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Always under stress
It’s all very well for the Indian Prime Minister and all of us parents, mentors and teachers to tell the students who are appearing for their board exams to stay calm and stress free. But given the sheer volume that the students have to master, it’s difficult not to get stressed and worried. For those students appearing for the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams this year, there is additional pressure for students of both Grade 10 and Grade 12. For students in Grade 10, it’s the first year where they have to write the exam with the full year‘s portion, and that’s something they have never done before. For Grade 12 students there is the news that there is no moderation this year, which adds to the pressure they are already facing as this puts them at a disadvantage compared to students passing out of other examination boards, where the moderation system continues. Later on, their situation gets worse in college entrance examinations because weightage is given to both the marks obtained in the board exams and the entrance results. How is that fair to them? Given these facts, how do we realistically expect the students to be stress free? All we can do is wish and hope that they do well and the results are fair to all.
From Ms Sarita S
UAE
Forever dashing Dubai
When I used to visit Dubai, I didn’t have the faintest idea that I would grow to love the city the way I do! I remember leaving Dubai after New Year’s Eve celebrations and saw the fantastic fireworks that marked the new year, which are now the gorgeous laser show. While I was leaving after two days into the New Year, back home to India, I could not help but think that it would certainly be nice to see more of Dubai and wanted to visit again. I wanted to feel Dubai in my veins again. As God’s grace and destiny would have it, I am now presently a homemaker in Dubai. My wish of experiencing more of Dubai got fulfilled! I’m grateful for moments spent especially, during these months of good weather in Dubai! My life here involves going shopping for groceries and knickknacks, I try and cook at times, go on long walks along the Marina and discover new places to eat with my husband; places we have never been to before. I am thrilled and delighted to learn that if I’m on a tight budget, I would still be spoilt for choice. Walking around at some of the gorgeous places in Dubai is totally free of cost! To enjoy a walk, an evening sunset, a fabulous sunrise, a glorious pathway, and stunning buildings is what sightseeing in Dubai entails.
From Ms Puja Mehta
UAE
Editor’s note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet to us @GNReaders.
