Refer to ‘A coup in TMC, not rebellion’; Mamata Banerjee is facing her biggest political crisis. Having been defeated in the recent Assembly elections, a vertical split in the party came as a bolt from the blue. However, Mamata is still a very popular leader in West Bengal and certainly not a pushover. She has a tendency to bounce back. The late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was in a similar situation in 1977. She lost the parliamentary elections and faced a similar revolt from senior leaders like K Brahmananda Reddy and YB Chavan. The party split ultimately in 1978. But Indira Gandhi bounced back in 1980-81 and became Prime Minister again. The crisis in TMC is temporary.
SS Paul, Nadia (WB)
Rebels betraying public trust
Apropos of ‘A coup in TMC, not rebellion’; the recent desertion of TMC leaders marks a new low in Indian politics. One of the key promises in the BJP’s manifesto during the WB assembly elections was a crackdown on corruption. Several TMC leaders had been accused of corruption at various levels of administration during Mamata’s rule. If the BJP provides political immunity to TMC leaders facing corruption allegations merely to strengthen its numerical strength in Parliament, it would become certain that these TMC leaders betrayed the public and their party to save their own skin. Democracy is slowly losing its sheen.
Rajesh Goyal, Chandigarh
Make farmers tech-savvy
Refer to ‘When digitisation leaves farmers behind’; there is a dire need for mitigating farmers’ problems by making them technology-savvy. Today when most government departments have been digitalised, an important sector like agriculture can’t be left behind. Endeavour of the Haryana government to digitalise land records through e-Bhoomi and Agri Stack portals is a step in the right direction. Anticipating that the digital divide may come in the way of farmers, especially the marginalised ones, efforts should first be made to enhance digital literacy and social awareness. Making digital space safe and secure for them is necessary.
Ravi Sharma, Dhariwal
Unequal growth of states
With the World Bank revising India’s expected growth to 6.6%, the government may pat itself. However, growth in different regions is quite uneven. States like Maharashtra excel in heavy industry, retail and financial sectors while Karnataka and Tamil Nadu account for major IT and software services contributing majorly to India’s growth and exports. Thus, the per capita income is also skewed in favour of such states. Barring Haryana, many other agriculture-dominant states are laggards in growth and development. The bait of ‘double engine sarkar’ will not help. The Centre must invest in these states as per their needs without any bias. Also, such states should not always be at daggers drawn with the Centre.
Brij B Goyal, Ludhiana
Subsidies destroying work ethics
The main purpose of subsidies is to keep the vote bank intact by spending crores of rupees. The country’s economy is in doldrums but we are burdening the government coffers with subsidies for political mileage. Successive governments have ruined the culture of working hard. A better solution would be to create employment opportunities and control the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and stop all freebies and loan waivers. No financial assistance to women or any kind of free traveling or free electricity is necessary. Population control should also be on the agenda if we are really serious about achieving Viksit Bharat 2047 mission.
Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar
Ensure dignified incomes
Refer to ‘SC calls homemakers nation builders, quantifies their monthly care at Rs 30,000’; by valuing domestic care, the apex court has challenged the deeply entrenched notion that a homemaker is a non-worker merely because she does not bring home hard currency. The judgment throws into sharp relief the grim reality of wages in India. A large section of workers in both the organised and unorganised sectors earns less than the value assigned to a homemaker’s contribution. Unless governments take the hint and pursue policies that enhance wages and ensure dignified incomes, the transformative impact of the judgment will remain limited.
Ramphal Kataria, Kurukshetra
