letters to the editor

While the Congress suspended senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar from primary membership of the party after he triggered another controversy by calling PM Narendra Modi a ‘Neech Aadmi’, a comment which was being seen fraught with adverse consequences for the party in current poll-bound Gujarat, the PM was quick to transform Aiyar’s remarks by giving it a caste colour and portraying self as victim of low caste and messiah of the poor and downtrodden.

However, the BJP cannot absolve from this blame. The party too has ridiculed the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi in particular by using derogatory terms. It will not be out of place to mention the abuses some BJP leaders hurled on Dr Manmohan Singh during his tenure as PM.

In fact, the PM himself could do a lot to raise the bar for free and fair political debate by giving up his customary speech of his modest background and hailing from a particular caste. Simultaneously, he should refrain from harping past Congress rule and claiming sole honour to everything good that has ever happened under him and his party.

Gregory Fernandes, Marcel

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Union Finance Ministry should look into serious issue of black-money transactions through benami demand-drafts / pay-orders where such instruments continue exchange of hands like currency. Even there exist certain firms which act like a sort of ‘banker’ where demand-drafts / pay-orders made in their names are easily accepted in markets, and these firms give cash after deducting their commission to holder of such demand-drafts on a date nearing validity-period.

Now with numerous households connected with banks under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, stress should be on banking-transactions replacing cash-dealings. Validity of demand-drafts should be further reduced to 45 days with compulsion of printing name and account-number/address of purchasers on these instruments.

Demand-drafts/pay-orders of above Rs 10,000 may generally not be made from cash.

Madhu Agrawal, Delhi

If you are just going to imagine past and present tiatrs, my comment is, in past tiatrs there were few directors two or four per year, these four directors used to stage their tiatrs. 

There were two groups Mumbaikars and Goemkars. In past tiatrs there were solo, duets, duos, trios and quartos, etc. Tiatrs story, titles were superb, stories likewise about two families, etc, and there was no jealousy between the directors in the past. They used to not think much about money, but were more concerned about the tiatrs, whether the audience will like it or not.

But today's most tiatrists and their so called tiatrs are completely different from the past. Likewise all the tiatrists try to become directors. Not much of duets, trios, duos get to be seen in today's tiatrs, mostly solos, that too not up to the mark, only politics solos and trios.

Stories and titles are not up to the audience expectation, short stories like one act plays, mostly based on Hindi films, serials; there's no originality. Per year each director shows 3 to 4 tiatrs, no idea if the directors really write the stories or take from others.

Most comedies have no meanings. Today’s audience do not like today’s most tiatrs but come for the tiatrs, only for time pass. These is as per my experience, because after tiatrs are over most people talk like this. So according to me and most people (audience), past tiatrs, tiatrists were much better than today’s.

So to improve our tiatrs, we must do lot of hard work, and do as past tiatrists had done. So please directors, tiatrists take these into your minds and try to show some improvisation in your tiatrs in the near future or else the tiatrs will have no name if things continue the same.

Edgar Martins, Chinchinim

It is indeed very disturbing to hear about the kidnapping of four Higher Secondary School boys by 4 gangsters, one of whom is Goan and the rest migrants. How this act could be committed in broad daylight without anybody’s notice is again a puzzling factor.

The whole episode is surrounded by mystery. Had it not been the equally daring courage of the parents of the boys the case would have not been easy to detect and even if detected it could have been late after one of the boy’s murder, perhaps.

To see such daylight kidnapping in Goa of today is a matter of great worry for all the parents. To prevent such incidents what is important that the antecedents of the migrants need to be checked. For this the co-operation of the public is required in that the owners of the dwellings where these migrants stay need to report to police and any failure on the part of the owners, they should be heavily penalised. 

In addition to this, the policemen on beat duties should conduct discreet enquiries where all the migrants stay and conduct night raids on those places and due action taken on both parties, the owners as well as the migrants. This way we will be able to control the influx of migrants who are flocking to Goa from all over India.

As per the newspaper reports the kingpin of the gang was staying in Raia, Manora. The villagers were raising the issue of illegal constructions in their village but no due attention was given. This incident is wake up call to all the concerned authorities and act decisively, otherwise the situation will go on worsening throughout Goa.

Antonio Carvalho, Arossim

The gruesome murder of Mohammed Afrazul, a Muslim man in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan has raised serious questions about the security of Muslims in the country. Ever since the BJP has come into power, there has been a rise in attacks over people belonging to the minority communities.

Muslims who form less than 15 per cent of India’s population, have to bear the brunt of communal attacks under the BJP’s regime. Incidents like lynching, forced conversion, threats and attacks on mosques and churches have increased but the government is turning a blind eye towards it.

Narendra Modi and all those in the BJP only favour Hindus, which according to the Constitution of India is not the right thing.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai

Congrats to Vasu Lingudkar and Anthony Noronha for showing courage to confront and nab the dacoits despite they firing gun shots at them.

Now the time has come and people of Goa have to do something to stop the dacoities and robberies as our politicians and police miserably fail to protect us. 

Sandrick Martins, Chinchinim