MyVoice: Views of our readers 29th November 2020

Ensure polling in large numbers for GHMC elections

For a flourishing democracy heavy polling is necessary. It is proved many a time that effective governments can be formed only with high percentage of voting. Several studies have revealed that the percentage of polling is registered more in local body elections of rural areas rather than the Parliament and various Assembly elections.

But urban local bodies are registering lower percentage of voting than that of general and rural local bodies elections. The low percentage of voting started in1945 and it was continued up to mid-80s, later it is improved significantly in general and rural local bodies elections. But in urban local bodies that too in Corporation elections the percentage of voting is relatively low - in GHMC the percentage of voting was 42 per cent and 45 per cent in 2009 and 2016 respectively.

There are two reasons for this lower voting. One is organisational like location of polling stations, non - revision of voter lists in time, misinterpreted reservations etc and the other is individual like lack of interest in voting, irresponsible behavior in voters, prejudice about voting and some people think that there would be no danger to democracy if I didn't vote. Once urban areas were known for civilisation but now they stand for low polling. So, the political parties which are trying to rise emotional tempers to achieve upper hand over their rivals must concentrate on percentage of voting.

The corporation officials, NGOs, and civil society must take up campaign to create awareness among voters about the importance of voting. If necessary, multi storied and gated community executive committees should be roped in to enlighten the voters. It is estimated that there are 74 lakh voters in Baldia of which 15 lakh are youth and six lakh are IT employees.

So in ensuing GHMC elections high percentage of voting is to be noted so as to form popular governing body. For this purpose social media can be used to create awareness among voters and also to overcome Covid19 hurdles.

Pratapa Reddy Yaramala, Tiruvuru

Kangana should be paid by BMC officials

It refers to welcome decision of November 27 from Bombay High Court ordering Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to pay compensation to courageous film-actress Kangna Ranaut for BMC demolishing major portion of office-complex of the young film-actress, considering it a deliberate biased and unjustified act of BMC.

But BMC is funded by hard-earned money of tax-payers, and must not be allowed to be paid as compensation for sin and faults of concerned officials and political personalities at BMC or Maharashtra government. Ordered compensation-money must be recovered from these concerned ones. Moreover concerned officials should also be immediately suspended from their posts as a lesson for others for not dancing to tune of heavyweight political rulers and other politicians.

Morality and ethics demand that concerned political rulers should be removed from their posts putting a bar on their contesting any election in life-time so that political rulers may not be able to act to take revenge from selected citizens.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi

Modi should re-think on farm Acts

We really wonder if Prime Minister Narendra Modi seriously thinks that the new farm laws will help realise his promise of doubling the incomes of farmers. We hope that the ongoing farmer protest will persuade him to have a rethink of the farm Acts.

The three agricultural marketing 'reform' laws will put vulnerable farmers at the mercy of large corporate behemoths, reduce their bargaining power and undercut the prices of agricultural produce. Worse, contract farming provided for in the laws could lead to the take-over of their lands by the rapacious corporate giants. Serfdom had been abolished long ago. Any attempt to revive it has to be thwarted.

The new agrarian laws are not at all farmer-friendly, as made out to be by the ruling elites. In fact, they are blatantly anti-farmer. It is inconsiderate of the government to force this new set of laws on the farmers as the panacea for their distress. Government mandis with agricultural market produce committees have to be made better and not shut down.

True, these laws will open up the markets, but they cannot benefit farmers in an increasingly unregulated and competitive market dominated by big agri-businesses. The monopolisation of agriculture market and production by the corporates, the possibility of which becomes distinct with the laws, will affect the lives and livelihoods of over half of the country's population depending on agriculture for a living.

There is no mention of Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee and procurement by the government at assured floor prices anywhere in the legislation. The whys and wherefores of the laws are not plausibly or convincingly explained by the government.

The farmers, understatedly fearful about the future, have hit the national capital braving all hurdles on the highways put up by the government, the elements, severe air pollution and the Covid-19 pandemic in order to bring pressure to bear on the government to revoke the laws. We urge the Modi government to be empathetic to the farming community and rescind the laws inimical to their interests. That government is best that governs according to the will of the people.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Stop vilifying Jinnah

Why is Jinnah's name taken to compare with betrayers? I often feel very sad to see our leaders comparing betrayers name with great leader Mohd Ali Jinnah. After Bihar elections famous poet Munawwar Rana compared Owaisi with Jinnah. BJP leader Tejaswi Surya commented that Owaisi is a new avatar of Jinnah. Still in every elections our leaders use Jinnah's name and try to polarise voters. Some are declaring that Jinnah was betrayer who divided the country by demanding a separate nation.

In fact Jinnah fought for Hindu- Muslim unity. He was also responsible for the freedom of this country. His contribution for freedom struggle cannot be ignored. Partition of our country took place because of communal riots and many leaders at that time along with Jinnah preferred separate nation for Muslims. Now how came Jinnah is a lone betrayer. It was Gandhi who awarded the title " Quaid E Azam"(great leader) to Jinnah. He is a "Maha Purush" a great man for the contribution to India's freedom struggle, he must be respected in secular India.

Actually, if we go into history the great betrayers of India are Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq. Mir Jafar the general who betrayed India and opened the door to British rule. He was a traitor ,with a single act of treachery - Mir Jafar helped to set the stage for nearly 200 years of British rule in India. Because of his betrayal Siraj-ud- Daula the great fighter against British was captured and later executed.

Tipu Sultan was known for his fierce spirit of independence, who fought rigorously against British. He was betrayed by Mir Sadiq. Due to betrayal of Mir Sadiq, Tipu Sultan was killed fighting with British. This led Britishers to rule entire India. So instead of using Jinnah's name for comparing with betrayers, better call them as Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq.

Zeeshaan, Kazipet

An open letter to Election Commission

The State Election Commissioner has been empowered to announce and conduct local body elections in Hyderabad and based on the recommendation of the State government , Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election process has begun some 15 days back and 1 December has been fixed for voting by the people of Hyderabad.

In a democratic setup the recognised national , regional parties and independent are allowed to contest the elections by presenting before the local citizens what they can do for the betterment of those living in Hyderabad. Over the last few days the leaders of ruling from Delhi have been criss crossing to gather votes for their party's candidate in the same way like the ruling party which now manages the state and GHMC.

Unfortunately, in the present local body election campaign we hear less about Electricity, Drinking Water, Roads and other civic amenities but are hearing Pakistan, Jinnah, Hindu Hirdya Samrat, Surgical Strike etc. On the one we feel proud of our democracy and system, Pakistan and other countries would be laughing at us the way our leaders are campaigning to fight not national, state but local body elections. I hope you all are aware about late Chief of Election Commission T N Seshan, he may be grieving inside his grave the way you're now leading the highest constitutional body.

If this was not enough a young Member of Parliament Tejaswi Surya from Bangalore has been making provocative speeches and calling another senior four time MP Assaduddin Oawaisi as father of Pakistan and voting his party is voting against India. If the ruling party MP is indeed correct, how come Asaduddin Owais is has been allowed to be a member of our Parliament. Another leader who happens to be BJP state Party President has threatened that a surgical strike would be conducted in a part of Hyderbad where large section of Muslim and others live.

I understand that the SEC has fixed Rs.5 lakh limit for spending towards campaigning. From what one can see, the parties are spending probably ten times of the maximum amount per day if one goes by the way leaders of national and regional parties are moving around to promote. As the election is happening when a novel virus is still affecting the people, the SEC would have given some guidelines to follow while campaigning.

Having failed to follow any of the Covid guidelines in Bihar and other states where there no visible protocol was noticed even in the rallies addressed by PM, in the local elections all this has been given a good bye and full- fledged road shows are being organized by BJP, Congress, TRS and MIM who are some major contestant aiming to capture local body.

The SEC and Police seem to be simply mute witnesses except few appeals in the presence of the media.

In a notification issued to poor teachers and other central staff appointing them for pool duty Election Authority and Commissioner GHMC has warned that "those who fail to attend the training classes and polling duty will be viewed seriously . Defaulting officers are not only liable for disciplinary action but are also liable for Prosecution".

The EC and their counterparts are empowered to take action only against poor polling officers drawn from other government departments and not the politicians who are called "law makers". It is a different matter, neither constitutional body like yours and ignorant people cannot take any action against elected members who fail to fulfill promises being made to voters.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad