The Congress and the BJP have so much in common in a few years we will find it hard to differentiate between the two. When Congress wins an election the win is attributed to Rahul Gandhi and when they lose it is collective responsibility. We are seeing the same in BJP. All wins are because of the Narendra Modi wave but the defeat means collective failure.
The BJP must realize that there has been a huge gap between its promises and the reality on the ground. The party was voted for its development plans not ‘Ghar Wapsi’ or any hidden agenda. Neither US President Barack Obama, nor foreign policy, nor acceptability in the International community can win you local elections. Solving local issues can.
For the first time since the election last year, some lawmakers in the BJP are rebelling against Modi’s focus on mending the economy and governance at the expense of promoting Hinduism. Some fringe groups would rather have a poor Hindustan rather than a rich secular India. Delhi voters have given Modi a subtle message from the rest of the country. Delhi has also given the Congress and BJP a message which is: give us an alternative and we will throw you out! AAP has shown that it is possible to make a dent in the slow to change power equation in what must be a blink in the political timeframe.
DC Dias, Taleigao
—
Enhance punishments for crimes
The increasing crimes like rape, murder, thefts, communal riots, vandalizing churches only shows that the criminals and communalists can get away easily without paying the price for their crimes. The only way this can be stopped is by enhancing the punishment; rapes convicts should be handed down death penalties. Generally, we hear that the punishments in the Gulf countries are barbaric and should be abolished. But statistics as well as friends who have lived and worked there testify that people shiver at entertaining even the thought of breaking. In India if we start capital punishment for rape and start punishing the rapists I think we will have a changed scenario very soon.
Asif Mohammed, Margao
Delhi, the capital of shame
With so much crimes committed against women, New Delhi our national capital has of late been transferred as the ‘Rape Capital of India’. With the recent attacks on five churches within a period two months; police incompliancy to crack the case coupled with their intolerance for peaceful protests as evidenced from their bundling of even priests and nuns into buses, who were silently protesting against the attack on churches, our capital has become a place of religious in tolerance. Wake up our so called guardian of constitution. I hope Delhi under the leadership of Aam Adami Party will protect its citizens and stop religious discriminations.
Fernandes George Joao, Navelim
Well done Delhi
Congratulations Delhi!!!! The mandate given by the people of Delhi has proved the power of democracy, the power of vote. Delhi has shown the rest of India that the government is of the people, by the people, for the people. It is the right of the people the way people want to govern and not on the party’s ideologies. The message is loud and clear to all the political parties including AAP — perform or perish. No vindictive politics, no blame games, no arrogance, no communalism will be tolerated from here on. There is a big political revolution taking place in our country. People want to live in peace and harmony. People want progress and prosperity of our country. So lets us work together sincerely and constructively for the ‘Ache din’ of our nation.
Mary Jayne Dias, Caranzalem
Practice what you preach
The brutal treatment meted out by US police to Sureshbhai Patel, is symptomatic of the pseudo-tolerant American society. Mr Patel was visiting his son in Alabama. He was brutally beaten and thrown to the ground by a police officer who had received a report of a ‘suspicious person’ looking into garages. Mr Patel’s only fault was that he did not know English, and perhaps the colour of his skin.
In the US it is well know that cops employ double standard when it comes to dealing with non-whites. Brown people like Mr Patel are discriminated against because of the colour of their skin while blacks receive relatively better treatment not because of any sense of tolerance but simply because they are feared. And then President Obama comes to India and preaches tolerance!
Prof Robert Castellino, Mumbai
