My Voice: Views of our readers 07th August 2023

Cong has something to cheer for

The crestfallen Congress has something to rejoice about, after all, when the Supreme Court stayed conviction in a 2019 defamation case over Modi surname remark against Rahul Gandhi paving the way for his Lok Sabha membership. There were celebrations in Delhi and Wayanad among other places; and a grand welcome awaits Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad. One feels that defamation cases have to be taken seriously and must not become mere eyewash when it comes to conviction of offenders. There have been numerous instances of loose cannons getting away with mild rebuke or no punishment. All said and done, the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Parliament will not make waves in any way – except providing the Congress group with a false sense of security and imagined vitality to come from that of a dynasty descended from the Gandhi-Nehru family.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

Perseverance pays for ISRO scientists

ISRO announced that Chandrayaan-3 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit on August 5. A very happy news to ISRO staff, Central and State governments and all others anxiously looking for its safe landing on moon on August 23 as programmed. God’s grace coupled with untiring efforts of those responsible for launching this spacecraft, which is set to reach its final goal, will make India stand parallel to US, Russia and China. One should trust Gita’s dictum that we should not lose our perseverance, sincerity and hard work in doing a job and then leave it to Him for result. This is what our ISRO officials did and left it to Almighty.

N Ramalakshmi, Secunderabad

India’s ambitious third moon mission, Chandrayaan-3, was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on August 5 and it is a landmark achievement. The required manoeuvre was done from an ISRO facility in Bengaluru. A retro-burning at the Perilune was commanded from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX), ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bengaluru. Perilune is the spacecraft’s closest point to the moon and it is expected to take place in Sunday’s special space operation. That is, the reduction of orbit was set at 11 pm on August 6, and it would be another stepping stone to success in our scientists endeavours. Over five moves in the three weeks since the launch on July 14, ISRO has been lifting the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into orbits farther and farther away from the Earth.

C K Subramaniam, Mumbai

No full-fledged democracy for Pakistan

There is certainly a political factor to the ruling by an Islamabad trial court sentencing Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case to three-year jail term and banning him from politics for five years. The action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader is amenable to being interpreted as a climatic turn in a political showdown between Imran Khan and the military and as a politically motivated attempt to prevent him from running for office again. The ostensible reason was his ‘illegal sale of valuable state gifts’ such as watches, perfumes, diamond jewelries and dinner sets. But the real reason was that the military withdrew its backing to him and turned hostile to him for whatever reason. It is said that no government can survive without the support of the military establishment in Pakistan. It means democracy is fragile and yet to take root in Pakistan. There is always a possibility of a takeover by the military.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, TN

Import curbs to give thrust to local firms

As per a government notification, import of laptops, tablets, personal computers and servers shall be restricted. India’s ban on smart TV imports nearly three years ago boosted local manufacturing, according to analysts. The move is probably targeted at China since more than 75% of India’s imports of laptops and personal computers in 2022-23 was from that country. The ban is expected to cause an increase in the price of laptops and personal computers that are imported to India. There are a variety of reasons for imposing these restrictions but the primary one is to ensure that the security of Indian citizens is fully safeguarded.

C K Ramani, Ghaziabad

Chandrababu rooting for irrigation an irony

Nara Chandrababu Naidu is a maverick politician who had once said agriculture was a waste is now questioning the ruling YSRCP for neglecting irrigation projects. During his tenure (2014-19) he was ‘busy’ misappropriating people’s funds in the name of constructing the new capital city Amaravati. As a result, the capital city never saw the light of the day till he was trounced in 2019. Irrigation got the least priority in his agenda due to which the Polavaram project also got delayed inordinately. Covid-19 wrecked havoc with the economy of the State because of which there was a delay in taking up pending projects. In spite of the setback to the economy, the present government is doing everything possible to complete all the important irrigation projects in the State including the Polavaram. Coming as it did, the statement by Nara Chandrababu Naidu is like Satan preaching the Gospel.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada