MyVoice: Views of our readers 26th January 2021

Farmers need to be heard now

The tumultuous turn of events on Republic Day in Delhi was a corollary of the widening trust deficit between the government and the farmers. Now is not the time for making accusations and counteraccusations now is the time for defusing the volatile situation. The protesting farmers are our compatriots to say that by entering the ramparts of the Red Fort they violated India's sacred space.

Farmers in their thousands poured into the streets and demonstrated the intensity of their opposition to the three new farm laws. They challenged the government's assumption (and refrain) that it knows what is in their best interests and made it clear that they would not be settled for anything less than the repeal of the laws passed to their disadvantage and corporate behemoths' advantage.

Clashes between the police and the protesters at some places cannot detract attention from the real cause for the dramatic and disturbing developments, the three black laws enacted in the guise of deregulatory reforms. The country does not need a set of laws that puts farmers at the mercy of 'big players' and subordinates farmers' interests to corporate interests.

There could be different points of view on the laws, but few would disagree that they will make the farmers vulnerable to big corporations. The much-vaunted people's mandate garnered from its USP of Hindutva is not a carte blanche to bring in laws without consulting the stakeholders and building consensus. The government must make a gesture towards the farmers' demand for the repeal of the laws and resolve the issue peacefully and redeem the situation in the country's overall interest.

G David Milton Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Tribute to Burgula

This refers to the report Burgula Narsing Rao often been called a legitimate son of Telangana. A great creator of stories who kept listeners rapt and making it easy for anyone to follow it. His elaborations were tracked with keen perception of feudal exploitative systems, British politics and the challenges thereafter.

The foundation laid of these accounts was a fervent commitment to the area and the first-hand experience of having lived through these times and participated whole heartedly in the struggles they embodied.

The desire in his eyes when he recounted the details of the students agitation of which he was a dominant leader, changed easily to same as he recounted how he had to negotiate the fact that he was the nephew of the ruling Chief Minister Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, against whom they were making their demands.

Raju Kolluru, Kakinada

Padma awards

Giving Padmasri to Kanaka Raju, a great dance master working to save Gussadi with Lachu Patel is worthiest honour for the great Adivasi dance. Telangana cultural organisations under government should support the dance financial and popularize to make children to learn and perform in cultural activities in school.

D Kishan Prasad, Thimmapur Mandal

II

Be it parents or poets or artists - true mark of respecting them is to honour them in a befitting manner when they are alive rather than after their death (Singer SP Balu among 119 Padma winners for 2021, January 26).

It is amusing SPB is awarded with Padma Vibhushan posthumously but there was no proper recognition when he was alive. Sadly, no prominent leader from Delhi attended his last rites citing lockdown restrictions but the BJP leaders carried out political activities in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan , West Bengal and Tamil Nadu violating coronavirus protocols.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Hyderabad

State, Centre caught in ego battles

The ego battles we are seeing be they at State level or Central level are causing more harm to the country in general. Look at the way the AP government has been mauled by the HC and SC time and again in a simple issue which should have been amicably sorted out with the diplomacy the State government and the SEC richly and mutually deserved.

So is the case with the Centre regarding farmers' issue. It is the ego which is preventing the Centre to acquiesce totally when it has reached a stage where it said it would keep the laws in abeyance. Keeping the laws aside is as good as repealing them. The farmers too have a severe problem of trust deficit because of which issues seem to get out of control.

D Nagarjuna, Hyderabad