MyVoice: Views of our readers 27th March 2024

Swinging political pendulum

Viewers of the current political scene find that since the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal the INDIA bloc is gaining momentum and the BJP-led NDA is losing momentum. It is also reflected in the media outlets’ noticeable shift to more realistic and balanced presentation of ‘news and views’ despite their ill-disguised sympathies still lying with the BJP. The BJP seems to have burnt itself out; it seems to contend with political ennui. The spirited fight put up by the AAP members against the arrest of their leader contrasted with the half-hearted protest by the BJP, staged mainly for the camera. The arrest of Kejriwal at this point in time appears to have misfired and put the BJP on the back foot. The arrest has caused public resentment over the overt misuse of the Enforcement Directorate. It has put Kejriwal on centre stage and infused a sense of purpose into INDIA bloc. The INDIA bloc will use the ‘maha rally’ at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to protest against the arrest to make its presence felt on the political stage. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi pins the blame for the country’s ills on the Congress after being in power for ten years in his speeches, it does not resonate with the voters. Modi’s popularity has been on the wane for some time. This is not to say that his die-hard supporters have freed themselves from ‘Modi worship syndrome’. The disclosure that the BJP received a lot of electoral bonds and returned the favour in the form of infrastructure contracts and protection from raids by central probe agencies too has depleted the BJP’s political capital considerably. Given the way the dynamics of political change are occurring, nobody now talks of an easy walkover for the BJP. The battle is still wide open; anyone could win.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

ED raids should not be political

The AAP may explore many ways to fight out the BJP in the ensuing elections especially post Delhi CM Kejriwal ‘s arrest by the ED. At the same time, Kejriwal evading answers/summons issued by the ED repeatedly is certainly incorrect however innocent he may be. BJP’s efforts in ‘ruling out corrupt political leaders ‘may be correct’ but why is that the ED doesn’t target the politicians who are joining BJP/ and those already in BJP in spite of huge financial scams or frauds levelled against them by even banks?

Katuru Durga Prasad Rao, Hyderabad

Regulate Reused Cooking Oils

In commercial settings like restaurants, it’s common practice not to discard oil after a single use. Unfortunately, with deep frying, failure to regularly change the oil can lead to the generation of trans fats through repeated reheating, potentially causing inflammation in the body as per health experts. Unhealthy oils can adversely heightening the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Repeated heating of oil also leads to the accumulation of visible and invisible granules, altering the oil’s composition and introducing neo-formed compounds (NFCs) over time. This process diminishes the oil’s nutritional quality. FSSAI lacks regulations or definitions for reused cooking oils, often leading food safety officials to rely on visual cues such as color or appearance. Therefore it’s imperative for FSSAI to frame regulations for reused cooking oils.

Dr Vijaykumar H K, Raichur, Karnataka

Seat sharing set the ball rolling

The dates for parliamentary polls are announced and the political parties are busy forming alliances and looking for seat sharing among them in case the alliance fights as one unit. The seat sharing formula may be right or wrong; it sets the ball rolling for a political breakthrough. The ball is in the court of the people to elect a Government with absolute majority at the Centre and not to give scope for coalition politics as at present. Issues are too many but the main one is who will become the PM from the opposition in case an absolute majority is not achieved and the need for joining hands becomes a matter of talking point. The run up to the parliamentary polls is a vital one as the political alliance should form a team to work in rural and urban constituencies apart from the major cities. With coalition politics suffering sudden break-ups, we would like to see a stable government at the centre.

C K Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai

Is ED’s move political laundering?

It is evident that K Kavitha of TRS is irrevocably embroiled in the Delhi Liquorgate money laundering allegation to be in the ED custody, without bail being granted to her. Kavitha’s ten-day ED custody has come to an end, and the agency has sought extension of her custody by two more days to be closeted with Arvind Kejriwal in the Excise case. Kavitha will now be shifted to Tihar jail. Kavitha was seen shouting to the press as she was being led to the ED headquarters that the case against her is not about money laundering, but political laundering by the BJP.

K R Parvathy, Mysuru