MyVoice: Views of our readers 24th March 2024

Kejriwal's arrest: FAIR OR RAW DEAL?

V Ramu Sarma's write-up on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalclearly elucidated that none is above law. The point is Kejriwal dodged and refused to answer ED summons nine times on the plea that summons were vague, illegal and unconstitutional, only to escape being interrogated before being arrested finally as per the orders of the court. It is a clear revelation that Kejriwal does not want to co-operate with the agency to get to the bottom of the truth in liquor scam and money laundering related to Delhi Jal Board cases. In fact, it is essential that graft probes need to be viewed impartially and not politicised by taking sides in order to put an end to corruption growing like a cancer. By and large, with Agency interrogating Kavitha after her arrest in the liquor scam having a deep link with AAP party, one cannot assume and say that BRS or AAP or for that matter Modi will benefit from this in the coming Lok Sabha polls. In short, there is no discernible pattern to suggest the arrested persons always get sympathy that would result in significant chunk of votes in his/her favour. INDIA bloc joining the chorus and backing Kejriwal is a clear indication that fear lingers in them that corrupt may not be able to escape the law for long as the enforcement agencies get cracking.

- K R Srinivasan,

Secunderabad

***

In the case of Arvind Kejriwal getting arrested it is like he himself gave the stick to the ED and the court to get beaten up with. The Enforcement Directorate's action came soon after the Delhi High Court refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal who grew as a leader crusading against corruption should have made things transparent when there were allegations against his party leaders in the liquor scam case. If Kejriwal wanted to show that his hands were clean, he should have produced himself before the ED rather than ignoring the court and the directorate several times paving way for the authorities to become more suspicious about his actions, and finally come out with piled-up charges against the leader. His party and his allies of the I.N.D.I.A bloc may call it political vendetta and an attack on the CM of Delhi but a leader posing himself as an anti-corruption crusader could have avoided such consequences had he taken the course legally and officially rather than taking things politically.

- M Pradyu, Kannur

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It is irony that an erstwhile member of the Anna Hazare movement has deviated from the path of truth and responsiveness. Being the holder of public office, constitutional morality, good governance and voters trust are the basic norms; perhaps, the ignorance of court orders articulate his sheer disrespect towards the body of law and democracy. Anna Hazare, a socialist activist and key figure in Lokpal movement, was supported by Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, and Atishi Ghosh, who are now under the ED. No matter what, constitutional integrity must be upheld by all.

- Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur Nagar

***

‘Exposing corruption at the highest levels, much like what Kejriwal and Kavitha did, is truly praiseworthy. Society needs to uncover such wrongdoing and hold those responsible to account. However, it's disheartening when politicians who were once alleged of corruption, dilute their anti-corruption stance and their cases seem to soften the action by the government, once they align themselves with a political party like the BJP. This dilution of their anti-corruption stance undermines the integrity of the anti-corruption movement and raises questions about their true motivations. Furthermore, the timing of arrests of political leaders during the model code of conduct period appears suspect. It gives the impression that these actions are driven more by a desire for political advantage rather than a genuine commitment to upholding the law and combating corruption’.

- Ganti Venkata Sudhir, Secunderabad

***

The spate of arrests of influential leaders, Ministers and Chief Ministers by the E.D and CBI on charges of corruption reminds us of a childhood story in which a thief joins the public and shouts ‘Thief, thief’ to escape his getting caught. The BJP government stands abjectly exposed for all its corruption of shabby and bigger magnitude by the revelations by Data of Electoral Bonds. The party’s puritan image stands torn pathetically. But unmindful of the damage inflicted by EB data the leaders keep shouting to finish all those corrupt. Already the party has the track record of recruiting those facing charges and cases of E.D and CBI, honoring them with posts and powers, besides insulating them from legal firings. People know that joining a party cannot be like taking holy dip in Ganges to redeem all sins. People have broadly understood that most of the political parties, except the Left, are corrupt and the difference is only the magnitude of corruption.

– A G Rajmohan,

Anantapur

***

The timing of the arrest is a matter of contention now. Whether there is a prima facie case against Kejriwal is a million dollar question! If there is one, he should have been arrested along with Sisodia who is still languishing in jail as a remand prisoner in the Delhi liquor scam. Kejriwal and BJP are a game called one up man ship in Delhi as the latter badly needs its say in all matters in that State. Going by the support garnered by Kejriwal following his arrest it is easy to deduce that BJP as on date has no chance to overthrow AAP Govt in the next elections to the Delhi assembly. The ED should therefore be more careful and thorough in its investigations in the Delhi Liquor Scam case and nail the top leaders of AAP, otherwise it (ED) would become a laughing stock not only in India but all over the world for persecuting political opponents of BJP for no reason.

– Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

***

The Delhi High Court on Friday admitted the appeal filed by the CBI six years ago against the acquittal of all the accused in the 2G Spectrum allocation case. This follows the arrest of key opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, by the ED in connection with the money laundering case relating to the Delhi excise policy. Both these incidents amount to political vendetta. If these represent the ruling central disposition’s drive against corruption, Is it not duty-bound to investigate the Electoral Bond issue, which the Supreme Court has red-flagged, in the interest of fairness? The increasing harassment of opposition leaders by Central agencies around election time amounts to bullying of the opposition by the incumbent, which is poised to achieve a hat trick, going by opinion polls, the mood among the electorate, and browbeaten body language of an apparently clueless opposition.

- Dr George Jacob, Kochi

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is the first sitting CM to be arrested technically, but Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren who knew he was going to be arrested already had a succession plan in place to stymie the plans of the BJP to put their government in place. From being an anti-corruption crusader to being arrested for corruption, the world has come full circle for AK. Nobody is above the law but even the staunchest supporters of the BJP must find it curious that only the opposition parties and their leaders are guilty of corrupt practices. Had the ED been truly impartial, there should have been raids on those who names have cropped up in the purchases of hundreds of crores of electoral bonds. Political battles must be fought politically and won fair and square but it has become very common for the BJP to involve the investigative agencies to fix political rivals and pesky activists who keep on questioning the government on various issues. Even the Congress was guilty of the same earlier but the scale on which the BJP is doing the same is unprecedented. But unlike many other parties; the AAP is a cadre based party and they are not going to take the arrest of AK lying down. Unlike Jharkhand, Delhi has a vast number using social media platforms and a storm on these digital platforms can be expected.

- Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

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Now, the question that is being debated is if the Delhi CM can function from jail and monitor his day to today activities of the Assembly which is nothing short of Dawood Ibrahim running his mafia activities in India, sitting in Pakistan. What is sickening is the fact that several readers are coming in the defence of Kejriwal, calling ED move as politically motivated and political vendetta. The strange and irrelevant argument put forward in TV debates by defenders of Kejriwal is liken the Delhi liquor scam with that of electoral bond payments to BJP’s election account – if analysed no party is above board, while BJP has brought clarity into the scheme by introducing cheque payment by donors that during the Congress rule was cash and other means of convenience.

- K R Venkata Narasimhan, Madurai

Water woes spilling over in Karnataka

It is imperative for the Karnataka government to adopt and execute long-term strategies to ensure water security for the populace. It is crucial to curb the expansion of Bengaluru as there will be insufficient water resources to sustain the city in the future. Prioritising schemes for rainwater harvesting, lake rejuvenation, and water recycling is essential, as these initiatives are often overlooked until crises arise. It is crucial to acknowledge that the Supreme Court has imposed a restriction on usage of Cauvery water. With the looming threat of climate change, the situation is expected to deteriorate further. The water crisis is palpable in numerous districts, including Chamarajanagar, Ramanagar, Mysuru Mandya and also in North Karnataka districts including Bellary, Raichur,Yadgir, Bidar and Koppal. Many taluks in Karnataka are grappling with a drinking water shortage, while water levels in most reservoirs, including the Krishnaraja Sagar and the Tungabhadra, have plummeted to unprecedented lows. The distress signals and warnings from towns and villages must not be ignored.

- Vijaykumar H K, Raichur

***

Bengaluru is known as the Garden City of India. It had more green patches earlier. It had more lakes. Nearly 80% were greenery patches. Now things have changed. Water scarcity was quite unknown to the people of this city since the perennial Cauvery river flows here. Now due to advent of IT corridor, the city has become a concrete jungle. People have migrated in large numbers to Bengaluru. Also due to the change in the climatic condition and failure of monsoon rains have resulted in acute water scarcity. Even tanker supply by the corporation is seen inadequate. Private suppliers fleece the people taking advantage of the situation. The storage in the reservoirs is far below the demand.

Not only in Bengaluru, but in other places of the state the situation is grim. Places like Raichur, Bellary and Mysore are reeling under water scarcity. Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon are no exceptions. The government should identify water storage lakes and desilt them periodically. Rain water harvesting should be taken up on a war-footing. Our forefathers saw potable water in rivers and lakes. Next generation saw it in the wells. We now see water in bottles. Our future generation may see it in capsules if we don't act now.

- Sravana Ramachandran, Bangalore

HAPPY, HAPPIER, HAPPIEST

Well, it seems all of us are unhappy. The Happiness Index, published by the United Nations, places India at 126 out of 143 countries surveyed. India lags such wonderfully happy countries like Palestine, Ukraine, Pakistan and Myanmar. Instead, you go and vote, be selective and you will be unhappy. Unhappy about reduction in the poverty levels, unhappy about being the fifth largest economy, unhappy about knocking on the doors of United Nations permanent council members, unhappy about rising income levels. Do we deserve unhappiness? The choice in April and May is starkly clear – vote for growth and unhappiness or vote for corruption and chicanery but happiness. We are sure what the choice will be on June 4. As the knight in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade tells Indy Jones' Father, played by the legendary Sean Connery, I will be able to say, you live twice.

- C K Subramaniam, Mumbai

Shocking drug haul in Andhra Pradesh

While Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are fast approaching in AP, key political parties are indulging in mud-slinging over the large haul of 25,000 kg drug spiked dried yeast that was seized on Thursday at Vizag port. It was caught by the CBI following a tip-off by Interpol. It was traced by the CBI under Operation Guard. It is also learnt that it came from Brazil to the port with address tag of Sandhya Aquatics Limited in AP which is owned by close relatives of opposition parties in the state. It is obvious that drug mafia which was very active in Punjab, Haryana, UP once is doing roaring business in Telugu states nowadays. It is reflected in seizure of drugs in airports, seaports, railway stations and bus stops. There is a classification that well to do people in politics, film world and sports arena are using drugs while cannabis is used by middle class people including high school and college students, both girls and boys. It is a grave threat to the society. If necessary, death penalty should be considered for the people involved in drug mafia like in other countries.

– Pratapa Reddy Y, Tiruvuru, AP

Conserve and preserve forests for eco balance

The editorial column "Protect and raise forests... ", dated March 23, emphasises the link between climate change and deforestation and rightly discusses the need to conserve and protect our natural resources, the forests. Mahatma Gandhi voiced his concern about the resource conservation in these words: "There is enough for everybody's needs and not for anybody's greed." March 21 was celebrated as World Forest Day. The climate change and its consequences which we are witnessing today are a result of indiscriminate destruction of our forest cover. This decline in the green cover is leading to erratic rainfall pattern, increased global temperatures and global warming. There has been an increase by 1.5 °C in our global temperatures and any further increase may have serious implications. Significantly in India, forests occupy lower than the desired 33% of total geographical area. The National Forest Policy of 1952 considers maintaining our forests for ecological balance. Forests are nature's gift to mankind but overexploitation, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation are leading to denudation of our forests. Other contributors are mining and overgrazing. Apart from climate change, deforestation also leads to loss of wild life habitats. The Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has provisions for protecting the habitats. Environment protection and wildlife conservation should be integrated.

Besides, degradation of forest cover also causes loss of livelihoods for the local communities who depend on forests for their needs. Conservation of forests also prevents soil erosion and preserves soil fertility. As part of the conservation of forests policy, local communities should also be involved. Environmentalists are calling for more afforestation programmes to restore our losing forest areas. Unless our natural resources like forests and wildlife are protected and preserved, there is every possibility that in the future we may have to be prepared for more severe ecological imbalances that threatens the survival of mankind.

- Parimala G Tadas, Hyderabad

WHAT AILS OUR SERVICE COMMISSIONS?

Most of our State Public Service Commissions are often in the news for wrong reasons. There are people who feel that our Service Commissions have become synonymous with controversies and court cases.

The other day a single judge of the AP High Court cancelled the Group1 exams 2018 and directed the government to conduct the exams afresh. Many aggrieved candidates told the court that serious irregularities on a large scale took place at every stage in conducting the exams. Of course, his order has been stayed by a bench. This is not the first time that the AP Service Commission is in the thick of a controversy. In 2011, too, the Supreme Court had handed down a similar order cancelling the Group1 exams and asking the then government to re-conduct the exams. Again it is the case with other PSCs as well.

Last year, the chairman and the members of the Punjab Public Service Commission were arrested on charges of corrupt practices in the recruitment of hundreds of medical officers in 2008-2009. In 2021, a big reservation scam marred the recruitment of about 69,000 teachers in UP. Again in 2021, the Gujarat Public Service Commission cancelled the written exam for the posts of Head Clerks following the leak of the question papers. And nearer home, the scams perpetrated by the staff and some insiders of the TSPSC shook the entire State of Telangana, culminating in the cancelation of many exams and the termination of the services of its Chairman and members! The sordid story goes on.

Who is responsible for all the bad and sickening incidents and things that are happening in them?

Some decades ago the story was different as per as the APPSC is concerned. It had recruited thousands of candidates without any controversies and scams. There was little corruption in the Commission and everything was conducted in a transparent and fair way. I had written a Group2-B exam in 1982 and forgotten about it. After three years I received my appointment order in 1985 much to the surprise and jubilation of my siblings and friends.

NTR as the CM had created AP College Service Commission in 1984 for recruiting Lecturers in Degree and Junior Colleges. Written exams for the maiden recruitment were held in 1987 but for some reasons interviews couldn't take place for 4 years. In 1991, the Congress government decided to complete the recruitment process without cancelling the written exams as demanded by some candidates and officials. We were given appointment orders without any fuss and controversies.

It is time we weeded out the warts in our PSCs. They will do well when headed by upright judges and bureaucrats with independent budget sources and are free from political intervention.

-M Somasekhar Prasad, Hyderabad.

Vasudev must be hale to do public service

Thank god Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, the founder of ISHA, survived the brain blood clot and oozing of blood in brain. To the surprise of neurologists who performed operation, they found him recovering at faster pace. Of course we are all human; no one knows what is going to happen next moment. The sad part here is despite being a knowledgeable man, he had neglected the symptoms for 4 weeks; for him attending prefixed programs are of top priority rather than his own health. It is really a puzzle to imagine how Sadhguru bore the excruciating suffering for 4- weeks; maybe he managed with sheer will power and the blessings of Adiyogi, for normal mortals it is an impossible task. Any way the negligence of this kind should not be repeated in the future as his services are required to the Nation and the youth in and around the globe.

His timely awareness movements conducted on river water conservation and ‘Save the soil ‘are well received by people and realised the urgency to preserve both.

- Rama Krishna M, Kakinada