MyVoice: Views of our readers 2nd December 2023

PM’s new ‘castes’

Our humble understanding is that broadly there are four castes, viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Now, contrary to received wisdom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come out with his new thesis that ‘four biggest castes are poor, youth, women and farmers’. While it may be politically convenient for him to say so, it is an intellectually bankrupt idea. Clearly, it is a vain attempt made by him to skirt the issue of a nationwide caste census and keep the overarching appeal of Hindutva undiminished. Ruling elites do not like to accept the reality of caste for the simple reason that it lends validity and legitimacy to the demand for social justice. Caste is ‘sanctified apartheid’; it is predicated on the notions of superiority and inferiority and purity and pollution; it is a daily lived reality for millions of people; it defines your identity and dictates every aspect of your life. It is not amenable to being wished away. It won’t wither away by itself; it has to be uprooted by revolutionary thinking and action. It is antithetical to human equality and humanity’; it is intended to maintain ‘upper’ caste domination and ‘lower’ caste subordination. Still Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not passionately opposed to caste and makes no significant striving for its annihilation. This is because he represents Hindu Right that does not subscribe to the view that everyone is born equal. Interestingly, the BJP sometimes flaunts Modi’s OBC status for an undisguised reason.

G.David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Exit polls are biased or cooked up

Soon after 5 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2023 scores of organisations/psephologists came up with exit poll “results”. While some of them gave clear mandate to a particular party, ruling or opposition, others were not sure which party gets the majority, so they ended up saying edge to so and so party. These days exit polls by media houses are also biased and/or cooked up to favour a particular party so that the electorate in general and the first timers in particular would be misled. Amidst all this the polls for 5 State assemblies held recently are going to be a litmus test to all the psephologists and their prophecies. With regard to Telangana, my gut feeling is BRS would romp home albeit with reduced majority as the anti-incumbency vote got divided due to the triangular contest. TDP extending support to Congress Party won’t make a difference, because only Kammas might have voted for the latter while the rest of pro-TDP non-Kammas would have cast votes in favour of BRS or BJP. It would be interesting to see whether the exit poll predictions would prove right or wrong.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

II

Exit polls really speak the truth or not, viewers are glued to their Television sets more curiously and the resultant projected figures appeal the people more so than actual results. Anti incumbency factor put BRS in trouble and there appears to be an upset. Congress under Chidambaram gave statehood to Telangana and now it goes its way in an unexpected turnaround. All the hype, hoopla and hysteria of KCR in first page ads in news dailies with pink background all gone waste. All just wait for the results to confirm his ouster. The turnaround in Telangana will teach a lesson and the CM will join BJP rank during General Elections. The change is welcome for even the opposition.

M R Jayanthi, East Mumbai-22

III

‘It is strange that at 5 pm voters are in the queue and Exit-Poll results are out. The credibility of these Exit Polls may not be 100 per cent true and the authenticity of the same is always doubtful. The destiny of Telangana State will be out on Dec 3 and voters will be back to square for the coming five years. As usual now voters have to run from pillar to post to get their jobs done as this so-called Elected MLAs are not accessible for another five years and their future will be in the hands of the party which forms the Government’.

Ganti Venkata Sudhir, Secunderabad

IV

With assembly polls in five states ending on 30th November and exit poll results put up by various agencies soon after had given an edge to Congress in Telangana and Chhatisgarh and split on Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh saying it would be a close race, both BJP and Congress are bracing for last-minute manoeuvering and started back-channel talks with winnable party rebels and independents even as two days remain for the counting of votes. Whatever the outcome, it is clear that voters were divided, as a result it is no cake walk for BRS. Similarly, it is not easy for both BJP and Congress in the Hindi-belt due to divergence of voters preference varying this time.

K.R.Srinivasan, New Bhoiguda, Secunderabad