Delhi election
NO government in recent memory has been able to seek votes brandishing its scoreboard before the electorate with unbridled confidence as the Aam Aadmi Party did in Delhi (Cover Story, February 28). It also brought a whiff of fresh air to electioneering by steering clear of the politics of hatred and not resorting to tit-for-tat campaigning.
But it is a cause for concern that the party failed to acknowledge or feigned ignorance of the grave threats gnawing at the innards of the Indian polity.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath, Aranmula, Kerala
THE AA P’s spectacular victory stopped the Modi-Shah juggernaut for the third successive time in Delhi. The election results showed that Delhiites wanted the good governance and overall development of the State initiated by the AAP government to continue. Its victory can be attributed to its positive campaign that steered clear of controversial issues and its the effective communication to voters about its achievements on the public education and health fronts. Other politicians would do well to take a leaf out of Kejriwal’s book.
Although the run-up to the election was marred by mudslinging and acrimony, it is now a golden opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal to work in tandem in a spirit of political reconciliation in the larger interest of the people of the State.
Politicians need to accord priority to matters relating to development and good governance rather than harping on emotive ones that are subject to the law of diminishing returns.
B. Suresh Kumar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
THE d rubbing inflicted on the BJP by the AAP has actually given the opposition parties a breather. By providing basic amenities such as water, electricity, health care and education at affordable rates to the common man, the AAP has been able to make a dent in the BJP’s narrative. The BJP’s jingoism and arrogance have been clearly exposed.
That there has been a decline in the levels of corruption in government offices in Delhi is a feather in the AAP’s cap.
S. Murali, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Coronavirus
Coronavirus disease is fast spreading from Wuhan to the rest of the world (“Evolving epidemic”, February 28). The Chinese government has not revealed the full details of the epidemic and has kept a studied silence on the actual number of people who have been infected and died. The inept handling of the situation by the Chinese government and its reluctance to share information with the WHO and the international community have only resulted in the spread of the disease beyond its borders. The fact that the outbreak of the disease coincided with the Chinese spring festival in January made matters worse as many Chinese people were holidaying in different parts of the country. The exact source of the infection is still a mystery.
The outbreak has severely affected the food service sector of China as nearly all food reservations and wedding banquets have been cancelled and most restaurants have suspended operations. The seafood export sector in India is already feeling the pinch as exports to China, the second largest market for Indian seafood, has come to a grinding halt. Guangzhou, China’s largest seafood market, wears a deserted look. It will take time to evaluate the actual impact of the coronavirus infection on world trade.
T.N. Venugopalan, Kochi, Kerala
THE coronavirus disease has surpassed SARS in the number of fatalities it has caused. While SARS impacted one to two percentage points of China’s GDP, the increasing number of deaths and infections due to coronavirus disease could have a bigger impact on China’s economy. President Xi Jinping seems to be keen to make up for the initial cover-up of the severity of the epidemic. He has not only had makeshift hospitals constructed in record time but has allowed WHO and U.S. health officials into China to help fight the disease. New virus cases are now falling, and the infections might substantially reduce.
Napolean Bonaparte once said: “China is a sleeping giant. Let him sleep, for when he wakes he will shake the world.” Is there a conspiracy by the West to checkmate China’s unstoppable political and economic rise? European conquerors wiped out 90 per cent of the indigenous population in the Americas through smallpox, measles and the bubonic plague. Health experts of the world must put their shoulders to the wheel to find a vaccine against coronavirus disease.
Kangayam R. Narasimhan, Chennai
Iran
THERE were mass outpourings of sympathy from across the region after the killing of Qassem Soleimani, with mourners taking part in processions and shouting slogans (”Suicidal assassination”, January 31). The motive behind the killing is not that clear. Most of the media in the U.S. have been creating stories about the current U.S.-Iran tension, even comparing it to events in the 1990s. Tense situations are not good for anyone in the region. Countries in West Asia should be protected at all costs as they have oil reserves. International bodies such as the U.N. cannot turn a blind eye to the situation and should ease tensions through diplomatic means. For the good of the international community, the Donald Trump regime should take steps to end the conflict.
P. Senthil Saravana Durai, Mumbai
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