West watching Rahul’s disqualification
This refers to “Germany ‘takes note’ of Rahul’s Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha”, soon after the US administration expressed its concerns over Congress leader’s conviction in a criminal defamation case and eventual disqualification from the Parliament, Germany too shared concern on similar lines.
Given India’s G20 presidency year, when all the important meetings and summits are around the corner, other countries advising the world largest democracy over the political development within is in bad taste.
In the world of diplomacy, these indicators are enough of a warning that there is global interest in a particular development and the country concerned should not go ahead in the hope that such action will not invite world attention and perhaps even condemnation.
Interestingly, leaving senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh., whose ‘Thank you’ to Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry has given BJP the handle to attack Congress, Rahul nor his party has not made public the support he has received from West after his ouster from Lok Sabha. The government on its side has not responded so far although the interventions have created ripples within the diplomatic circles.
The government at the Centre should be cautious when it comes to dealing with political development within and not to give other countries a chance to pick holes in our country’s democratic status.
Gregory Fernandes, Marcela
Is Covid-19 raising its ugly head again?
Following a gap of around seven months, Goa reportedly recorded its first Covid-19 death on Thursday after a patient succumbed to the infection at the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim. It is learnt that the daily Covid-19 count in the state also crossed the 100 mark after a long time and as many as 108 samples tested positive in the past 24 hours. India reportedly logged 2,151 new coronavirus cases, the highest in five months, while the active cases have gone up to 11,903 according to the Union Health Ministry data. These may not seem like alarming figures for Goa and the country and there may not be much reason to press the panic button. However the question that remains unanswered is whether the deadly disease is (God forbid) raising its ugly head again. Nevertheless it seems prudent for the government to take necessary action to see that the number of infections does not rise. It seems necessary to find out the virus which is responsible for the present rise in the number of positive cases by carrying out genome sequencing. Genomic sequencing is used to decipher the genetic material found in an organism or virus. Sequences from specimens can be compared to help scientists track the spread of a virus, how it is changing, and how those changes may affect public health. The public in general may again have to follow all the Covid-19 protocol like wearing the mask in crowded places and following personal hygiene. As the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure’.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Don't get fooled today
The first day of the month of April is called ‘All Fools’ Day’ or ‘April Fool’s Day’. On this day, people take delight in playing practical jokes on each other. The custom started in Rome when king Leopold of Belgium, who was married in Rome, was made a fool of by his sister-in-law when he went to his father-in-law’s palace on the first of April by mistake as he had been invited there on first of May.
Today, several centuries later, April fool is played on people on a large scale. It is played by students in schools and colleges and also by employees with their colleagues in offices. It is also played at home with neighbours and family members. So be alert and don’t get April fooled this year.
However, instead of playing jokes on people on April Fool's Day, I suggest you plant at least one sapling in your surroundings to make it an April Cool Day. This small campaign of yours may help in making this earth cool and a better place to live in.
Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai
Political parties must live up to promises
Recently the Congress attacking BJP government in Karnataka for failing to fulfil of its 2018 manifesto promises is unfortunate. The campaign was also pursued with 'Flower on Ear'. From defence to development, the manifestoes of political manifestos show which electoral promises have been translated into policies. These shed a light on a variety of insights, especially in their field of priorities, representation and target vote base. Elections are fought on promises which form the main fulcrum of trust between the electorate and the politicians seeking votes.
More often than not, a majority of these promises remain unfulfilled, either because they are too ambitious to be fulfilled or because the political will is simply not there to ensure their implementation. Elections are appearing in Karnataka, hence, the political parties are in a frantic race in promising moon, if they are elected to power.
The issue is – what is the sanctity behind all these lofty promises that the political parties make at the time of elections? Can they be held accountable for unfulfilled and impractical promises? In 2017, at a high-profile seminar, Justice J S Khehar, then Chief Justice of India, lamented that election promises routinely remained unfulfilled and manifestos had become a “mere piece of paper”. The political parties must be held accountable in such cases. The ECI should invoke its authority under Article 324 of the Constitution and implement the guidelines on Election Manifestos more rigorously, ensuring the sanctity of the elections.
K G Vilop, Chorao