Whataboutery by Modi in USA
It is very rare for Modi to take questions from the media, beyond the occasional interviews, during his foreign visits. During a joint press briefing with American President Joe Biden, a Wall Street Journal reporter questioned what steps the Indian government was taking to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities and uphold free speech. Instead of answering the question Modi resorted to whataboutery, saying that India and America both have democracy in their DNA, and that ‘democracy runs in our veins’ –laughable to say the least. Then he pulled out that non functional magic wand of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ from his hat. In short what he said was, we talk democracy, we walk democracy, we laugh democracy, we breathe democracy, when infact what the Sanghis are doing is eating democracy alive day in and day out. Garrulous Modi said and did everything else but answer a simple question from a journalist. I am sure Modi the Messiah would be feted by his fanboys on his return to India for this one (non) answer alone.
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Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Where is Man(ipur) ki baat?
Our PM is famous for his Man ki baat –a one way monologue of his choice. Now Manipur is burning, with acute unprecedented human rights violations, but not a word from our vociferous PM from the time these riots, free for all murders, burning down houses and places of worship, spreading death and destruction have started. Where is Manipur ki Baat? Why is Mr Modi silent? What could be the reason? In fact, his silence is deafening. As a matter of fact he is always silent on such occasions, dead silent especially when there are major human rights violations, targeting of minorities by BJP cadres and their affiliated groups. Manipur is burning for more than 48 days, why the PM did not visit Manipur with his highly publicized ‘double engine’. That means the double engine is useless, and has no relevance just advertised to garner votes during any election. Now we know instead of Manipur at this point of need Mr. Modi has gone to the US flying with his favorite bunch of Godi Media, his choicest entourage of advertising agents, hordes of personal attendants, not forgetting his latest sophisticated sure shot teleprompters. You name it, he has it on his luxurious plane. How can our PM be so senseless, and heartless? The world is watching. Seventy five US law makers have written to President Biden asking him to raise serious concerns regarding severe human rights violations in India when Mr Modi visits the US.
Back home our Home Minister who is supposed to be very tough, and a no nonsense guy, did not have the guts to visit Manipur, not before 30 days, when Manipur was at its peak of violence, death and destruction. He went armed with empty words, and came back with practically no impact on Manipur. Today we read on newspapers that this same Home Minister is busy in Delhi calling CMs of all states to review party’s preparations for Lok Sabha polls. Our very own Goa CM Pramod Sawant was also called there to Delhi. Also present there was BJP national President R P Nadda, who on all conferences and occasions only talks on degrading the past Congress rule without any constructive and concrete suggestions of his Government. He also did not visit Manipur. The main job of an elected Government is to protect the basic rights of its citizens and to maintain law and order which is never on the agenda of this all round election mode Government.
Mathew Julius D’Costa, Curchorem
Demolish illegal slum in Davorlim
It is really hurting to see that the migrants are building their houses anyway, anywhere, –on government land and others’ property without any one’s permission and the village panchayats know it very well. But due to vote bank politics they stay silent on the issue. In Davorlim, the illegal houses have come up in large numbers and human waste is let out into the paddy fields, which is effecting our environment, health and spoiling the fields of our niz goenkars or sons of the soil. We don’t understand why the Davorlim panchayat office is silent on the issue for such a long time. It looks like the sarpanch and panchayat members are getting money to shut their mouths. Corruption is the main reason to spoil the future of Goa by allowing migrants to do anything they wish to do in Goa. The results are there for everyone to see. Many areas in Goa today are slowly turning into slum areas which are totally unsafe. Residents of Davorlim should wake up and save and protect their village for their future generations, otherwise these outsiders will slowly throw Goans out of the area one day.
Requesting the government of Goa, CM Pramod Sawant, health department and ministers, and the village Panchayat office of Davorlim to take serious action and demolish the illegal houses as soon as possible.
Ronnie D’Souza, Chandor
Fitness test instead of scrapping old vehicles
It is learnt that the Margao Municipal Council on Friday opposed the government’s plan to scrap 15-year-old vehicles in the state saying that the move will affect the common man eking a living on transportation. If the vehicle is scrapped after 15 years, those in the transportation business may not have the resources to buy a new vehicle. Those affected could be the owners of rickshaws, goods carriers, motorcycle taxis and even hired truck and bus owners. If the scrapping policy is being introduced because old vehicles cause pollution, then the authorities can check the Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) certificate of the vehicles regularly. The road-worthiness of a vehicle may not entirely depend on the number of years but on the number of kilometers it has run. Some vehicles may have been used rarely but have completed 15 years. Scrapping them will amount to grave injustice to the vehicular owner. The Goa government needs to have a rethink on the vehicle scrapping policy and insist on fitness tests regularly, instead.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
