In an interview to the ‘Time’ magazine our PM Narendra Modi says “the acceptance of all religions is in our blood; it is ingrained in our system to work together, taking all religions along with us”.
Patricia Hewitt, head of UK India Business Council recently commented about our PM, “You campaign in poetry, and govern in prose”. Has the PM been out of touch with the realities in India due to his spending more time overseas than in the power portals in India? Not just the RSS factions and other communal elements, but some MPs themselves have been using defamatory and hurtful phrases against minorities and their institutions on the august floor of the parliament. Where has our PM had the moral courage to denounce these bigoted elements unequivocally on the floor of the house? Facts speak for themselves; there have been so many attacks on religious places of minorities which have all been scoffed at by the present government giving them a burglary twist in spite of there being glaring instances where their members have been attacked and objects held sacred by these minorities been desecrated. Even the holiday on a great day as Christmas has been trivialized through double entendre.
Besides the published attacks on religious institutions there are any number of attacks on minorities all over India which have not got publicity. All these prejudices and acts of hatred, in spite of Christians being a tiny minority of 2.2%, the percentage remaining almost constant since Independence thus putting to rest the false sense of belief the majority community has of quickly becoming a minority. To be truly a democratic and secular country we should identify ourselves least of all by the religion we follow. Only when we set aside our cast and creed and work as equals will we see our nation honored and rise to great heights.
Alwyn M D’Sa, Miramar
—
Are parents under threat?
The parents have to take a tough call in making the right decision to avoid an outward incident in refusing their children’s demand specially single parents have a tough time in meeting their demands .
We are often saying that our culture is gone but I think our culture is very much there but we have lost it. Drugs and alcohol is a huge threat now a days and we parents have a huge role to play in monitoring our children specially to observe their behaviour, appearance and mood specially when children’s come home from late night from parties a timely interference by the parents can save a precious soul .
Dixon Vaz, Margao
A bombshell!
The decision of the special bench of the Karnataka High Court headed by Justice C R Kumaraswamy to quash a trial court order convicting AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and three others in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case is nothing short of dramatic.
The court’s assumption that having 10 per cent disproportionate assets is no corruption will certainly be taken with a pinch of salt. The googly bowled by the special bench has stumped many and the varied pronouncements given by different courts has only put the judiciary under a cloud. However, the acquittal should come as a shot in the arm for the AIADMK chief who is all set to make a triumphant return as chief minister in a state that is desperately in need of leadership, able governance and administration.
The acquittal will also mean that the fractured opposition in Tamil Nadu will have their task cut out in challenging the AIADMK in the Assembly elections which is likely to be called soon.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
