MyVoice: Views of our readers 3rd November 2022

Voters swayed by money, liquor

It was reported that each individual was paid Rs 500 for participating in door-to-door campaign in Munugodu. Further, a rumour is doing rounds that the parties have decided to buy each voter at Rs 3,000. If it is so the Munugodu by-election will be costliest in the country. Even ECI is maintaining stoic silence when contesting candidates' expenditure went far beyond the permitted limit of Rs 40 lakh. Wise voters must elect the leader who can resolve their problems rather than vote only on the base of money and liquor supplied on the polling day ie November 3.

Pratapa Reddy Y, Tiruvuru, NTR Dt, AP

II

The Munugodu bypoll had exposed the underbelly of our democracy and elections that are marked by money and muscle power. The cadres of all parties indulged in physical and verbal abuse with impunity. There were series of complaints to Police and election authorities by one party against the other. Nothing concrete resulted except that a minister was barred from canvassing for a couple of days. The finishing touch was provided by some villagers who gathered at local leaders' residences demanding money as promised. One sure thing is that the election shattered erstwhile complacency of TRS and all the top guns including CM KCR, KTR and Harish Rao jumped into the fray with scores of MLAs and corporators from Hyderabad. The Congress also got out of its slumber and plunged into an active campaign in contrast to the past. The show has ended. Result is awaited.

Vinay Bhushan B, Hyderabad

III

Apropos "Munugode should teach them a lesson" (2 November) by Dr Ramu Survajula. I don't think voters in India, educated or otherwise, are thinking voters. They mostly get influenced by individuals who seek votes or someone who is campaigning for them. In the recent past unlike in the past, now the PM temporarily becomes Chief Minister of the state which is going to pools, The by-election in Munugodu and Adampur in Haryana was necessitated due defection organised by ruling party BJP. In both the constituencies it is BJP which wants to showcase their supremacy. In Munugodu, it was a quid pro quo deal with K Rajgopal Reddy and no wonder a lot of money is flowing and TRS is attempting to equally put in a lot of money to win the battle. When there is no issue in an election, it is money that influences the voters.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

Dehumanising test rightly junked

The Supreme Court has done the right and long overdue thing in putting an end to the dehumanising two-finger test on rape survivors with the authority at its command. The archaic and regressive practice adds nothing to finding out if a woman has been raped or not. The simple fact is that determination of a rape survivor's prior sexual conduct or experience has no relevance whatsoever to the determination of whether she has been bodily violated. The apex court has made it unambiguously clear once and for all that a woman's sexual history is wholly immaterial while adjudicating on a rape case. Nobody wishes their private parts to be touched by anyone, even by a doctor when it is avoidable and unnecessary, unless they are not engaged in consensual sex.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, TN

II

The Supreme Court has issued a stern warning that the medical fraternity conducting 'two-finger' test on sexual assault survivors will be held guilty of misconduct. It is a right step in the right direction and the finger test is a further shame on the modesty of the survivor, who already had been traaumatised by way of rape by the rapists. The test must be done away with immediate effect. Any sort of violence violence against women must criminalise all forms of sexual and gender-based violence against all people and minimise the potential for re-traumatisation of the victim.

C K Subramaniam, Mumbai

III

The victim of a sexual offence, especially a rape, is treated worse than the perpetrator of the crime. When the rape case is reported, in the court the victim is subjected to a harsh cross-examination and unscientific medical test wherein a lot of questions are raised about the victim's moral and character, who has been subjected to forcible sexual abuse. The government should importantly mark that the cross-examine practice be done with certain level of compassion, decency and respect for the dignity without discrimination and ensure women must not undergo any unscientific medical test which violates a woman's right to privacy.

Monika Patidar, Ujjain