MyVoice: Views of our readers 18th June 2024

Needless row over EVMs

The editorial, ‘Empty Vessels Make More Noise’ (June 17, THI), should effectively silence the opposition and the critics. Sadly, that will not happen. It points to the nation’s collective intellectual entrapment by the white man. Sita Ram Goel identified Macaulayism, a term derived from Thomas Babington Macaulay, as the effective educational strategy of British India, which resulted in a generation of Indians ensnared in colonial notions about India. It fosters a sceptical attitude towards anything Indian unless approved by Western authority. It’s amusing to observe how a single Westerner’s comment on the EVMs can lead the entire opposition and critics to adhere to it as if it were a firmly established doctrine.

Dr. Pingali Gopal, Hanamkonda

***

Apropos your editorial “Empty Vessels Make More Noise” (17 June). The stand of political parties always changes as it happened when the BJP lost two elections in 2004 and 2009, so much so that BJP leader G V L Narasimha Rao went on to write a book “Democracy at Risk: Can We Trust our Electronic Voting Machines?” with forward by LK Advani. I quote the first para of the blurb: “Around the world, most of the countries using standalone Voting machines (EVMs) have been discarding them as voters cannot be sure that their votes have been correctly recorded and there can be no possibility of proper recount in case of disputes.” We have come a long way since then. Both Rahul and Rajeev Chandrashekar needlessly poked their nose as nowhere Elon Musk talked about the EVM in India.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

***

This refers to the editorial ‘Empty vessels make more noise’. Lampooning of the EVMs has become the trend of the idle Opposition, to constantly fault find these efficient Electronic Voting Machines to no end despite EVMs reliability in terms of their being foolproof to hacking or external influences to be unlocked by electronics devices has been proved beyond doubt by the Supreme Court; and the challenge was placed before the political parties to try their hand at hacking. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling the EVMs a ‘black box’ or Tesla CEO Elon Musk stating that EVMs can be hacked will not hold water. The liney by the Opposition on the EVMs wane, when they are winning the elections. nonetheless they believe in perpetuating this pet agenda to misinform and confuse the electorate.

K R Parvathy, Mysuru

Eschew autocratic policies

Modi and his team overplayed their ill-conceived Hindutva hate speeches and divisive politics gave a direct hit to the ruling party. UP considered their forte failed them and this factor along with the frustration of the common man accentuated by the rising food prices and unemployment was the crucial factor in BJP not getting an absolute majority compelling it to be at the mercy of its coalition partners this time. It is a retribution and Modi and his team would do well by resorting to cooperative federalism eschewing their autocratic policies.

Jayanthy Subramaniam, Mumbai

Reduce school bag burden

School bags burden must be reduced (to tender hearts school children) via the following ways: i) text books may be loaded in a “note pad” or “smart phone” in PDF format; ii) provide a locker for each student within the classroom itself to place his/her books there; iii) let homeworks be given for “half number of subjects” on alternate days; home work should be done within the school itself in the last 2 to 3 periods.

P V Srinivas Sreelekha, Secunderabad

Restructure medical entrance exam

A complete revamp of the NTA and the NEET exam is the need of the hour. Along with this, it is high time the state and the centre monitor and harness the so-called coaching centres that have sprouted like mushrooms everywhere, some focussing only in amassing cash and using all sorts of unscrupulous methods to have their candidates get through the exam by hook or by crook.

M Pradyu, Kannur