Congratulations to the AAP and BJP
Congratulations to the AAP for their stunning victory in Punjab and the BJP for their win in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.
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Commensurations to the losers and hope they will introspect the reasons for their loss. The main reason for the loss of the Congress in Goa is because the Congress and the people of Goa including the minorities have allowed other parties to divide the secular votes. Goa is not like Delhi or Punjab where the people go in the direction of the wind. If we have not learnt anything from the 2017 and 2022 elections then we have no one to blame for and no reason to complain.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
With power comes responsibility
The verdict of the elections is out. Goans have given the ruling party another shot at government formation. It won’t be wrong to say the outstation parties have created havoc with Congress’ prospects at government formation. While congratulating the winning political party, it must be said that with power comes responsibility. Even though the ruling party has a majority, in a democracy it is the peoples’ voice that is supreme. So the opinion of the citizens needs to be taken whenever any major decision, that affects the entire State, needs to be taken.
The peoples’ voice should not be suppressed. The incoming government has five more years to work for the betterment of Goans. Obviously development will be the catchword. However, destroying nature in the name of development is the last thing Goans want. There needs to be a middle part.
Ours is a Democracy and not a dictatorship and hence the voice of the citizens is supreme. While wishing the incoming government God’s blessing let us not forget that if the beauty of Goa is lost it will be an irreplaceable loss for which future generations will never forgive us. Goa is a unique state. It is a beautiful state which is a gift of the Almighty God. We are not the owners of this land given to us by the Almighty but mere caretakers. So let us not destroy something that we cannot replace.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Game of thrones for the hot seat starts
The elections are done and dusted with BJP claiming majority and in all likelihood of forming the government for the third consecutive term. It is pertinent to note that in most constituencies its candidates had to face tough opposition, barring a few. The old warhorses had to wait until the umpteenth hour to be assured of their victory. The capital, Panjim, which witnessed the late Manohar Parrikar’s son locking horns with strongman Babush Monserrate turned out to be a close fight, with the latter winning by just 700 odd votes, which clearly was not what Babush expected.
He later clearly voiced his disappointment at not being given the required support by his party workers. Now, the so called game of thrones begins for the hot seat. The incumbent CM Pramod Sawant will be wanting to continue in the prestigious post, but undercurrent of disapproval by some in the BJP, will be worrying him.
The party top brass will want to quell any dissension arising from within for the hot seat. Although it seems likely that Sawant will pass the test, mainly because of his being in good books with the central leaders and also being an RSS karyakarta.
The newly elected MLAs should also take up their job responsibly and work for the overall development of the State, without bias and prejudice. Let the term”bhivpachi garaz na” coined by Sawant be put into practice for a honest and people friendly government.
Aloysius D’Souza, Mapusa
Russia, Ukraine gave peace a chance
Russia’s talks with Ukraine making headway have given peace a chance! The development comes on the back of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to drop the plan to join NATO and expressing his willingness to discuss the control of Russian-backed separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Both countries also held on to the ceasefire, the window for more humanitarian corridors to evacuate frightened people. Besides, Ukraine and Russian officials have held three rounds of talks on the Belarus-Poland border to end the sabre-rattling.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
The West has not kept its promises
Ukraine is burning. NATO organizing conferences and meetings every table they are sitting they have filtered water bottles but Ukraine is without food and water. America is only dictating terms and Russia Kremlin Vladimir Putin is a mass murderer he is a dictator. The NATO and the Western countries and UN should come together and punish the Kremlin because sanctions on Russia are not helping.
Ukraine trusted the West and also counted completely on America but now Ukraine is left all alone. Russia wants to show power use it on military why? Bombard the civilians kill people and most important killing innocent children and destroying houses and families. Is this really humanity?
Anita Fernandes, Verna
Cashew catastrophe
The onset of summers is usually a happy and busy time for the cashew farming community in Goa, but this year things don’t look so rosy for the growers. The extended monsoons and the resultant cold climate have not been very favourable to standing crops owing to which the expected yield would be much below par; quality would also take a hit.
Many of the trees have not bloomed due to delayed winter; later, incidents of fog resulted in the blooms shrivelling which was a deterrent to nut formation. Constant climate changes triggered by global warming and lack of agricultural activity due to Covid have played havoc with crop yields worldwide but India, the largest producer of cashew has been especially impacted.
Hopefully the farmers should be able to at least recoup their investments if not book profits.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
India’s sad stance on Ukraine
At the recent United Nation General Assembly resolution condemning Russian Government for invasion of Ukraine and asking to withdraw troops, about 141 countries (about 78% of the countries voting) were in favour, 5 autocratic/repressive regimes opposed and about 35 abstentions which sadly included India!
We see regularly so many horrific images of barbaric invasion by the Russian Dictatorship on a massively unmanned and out gunned Ukraine….Mothers delivering babies in bomb shelters, babies/children dying/traumatised, lives destroyed, families separated and so many horrific things!
Now what saddens me is about how India is deviating from its supposedly core values of Democracy, Freedom and on Non-Violence, by not demanding from the Russian leadership that they stop the war and withdraw their troops! I hear the arguments that Russians are India’s friends and so India should stand by them, my question is are we talking about the brutal Russian dictatorship or Russian people who are our friends? I would imagine it should be the Russian People, so in that case should we not help the Russian people to get rid of the tyrannical Russian Govt, which is known to brutally clamp down on any opposition/criticism to it?
God forbid if India faces similar type of attack or challenges from a foreign power, with what face will the Indian Government ask the nations of the world to listen to their conscience, do the right thing and support India against the aggressor?
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
