MyVoice: Views of our readers 7th April 2021

A wild goose chase

THI edit page article by Madabhushi (06 April), 'Is it possible for CBI to probe and prove?', is thought provoking as per the opening remark: It is almost impossible to prove 'bribery' at the top level of governance...Threat to justice as per HC quoting Martin Luther King Jr," Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". SC having accepted it I feel that his historical saying, "I have a dream" remains a dream for all to dispel Injustice especially at the top level of governance. It is hallmark of injustice and corruption and nepotism are the two powerful wings.

HC said they consider it to be in the paramount public interest that an independent probe (by CBI)...would meet the ends of justice. Now, the daughter of Viveka alleged in Delhi that CBI investigation is at snail's pace and the state governance is suspected to be a hindrance to the process and then how ensure justice?

Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam

II

The writer Madabhushi Sridhar Acharyulu has rightly analysed that when rampant corruption is the order of the day and no effort is made so far to curb this menace by successive governments, corrupt politicians in the absence of police reforms have an easy escape route due to the reason that every party in power have been treating police personnel as their slaves who at the beck and call wanted them to act as cash collection agents and fill their coffers by hook or crook.

In the recent case in Maharashtra, it is clear that police commissioner Param Bir Singh was made a scapegoat in the whole episode and when the lid blew up and skeletons started stumbling from the drawer pointing to the brainchild Home Minister behind the corruption scam, all hell was let loose knowing that the men in power would go scot-free. Despite the loopholes in criminal justice system, Bombay High Court deemed it right that there is a need for CBI to investigate allegations of corruption against Home Minister before initiating further action in the matter.

The fact remains that except in rare instances, most cases going to the court involving political leaders and ministers fall flat on account of lack of sufficient evidence. Further, it goes without saying that as never in the history of Maharashtra has any police official made such sensational allegations against his own home minister, therefore the serious allegations made by Param Bir Singh appears that he has backing of the Centre. Nonetheless, the whole episode seems only an exercise in futility exposing the internal tussles within MVA than to punish the men behind the gamut of corruption in the state.

K R Srinivasan, New Delhi

Suicidal move by TDP

Vote is the coveted prize of politics. But the opposition party in AP has forgotten this and has given boycott call for the MPTC/ZPTC elections scheduled to be held on April 8. It resembles the case of running away from the war field in the middle of the way. It has watered down the aspirations of the youth as they submitted their nominations and were given 'B' form.

Subsequenly they were allotted party symbol on ballot papers. However it may support its boycott call by saying it against the high-handed behaviour of the ruling party .Further it found fault with the SEC as it announced the schedule even before consulting political parties. It may argue that the SEC should start the process afresh as the ruling party used its power to get more and more seats elected unanimously. It should remember that even with the old schedule the ruling party got as almost all positions in urban local bodies and with the new schedule it gained majority of seats in rural elections.

So, it should know that by giving boycott call it is giving a golden opportunity to the BJP which is not doing any favour to the state which is fraught with several hurdles due to bifurcation. As a true political party it must be in fray and fight in democratic way to restrain the ruling party.

Pratapa Reddy Yaramala, Tiruvuru.

Increase choice of vaccine, decrease age limit

With sharp daily spike in active Covid-19 cases throughout the country, the only way to restrict the cases is to go for mass vaccination of citizens (Apr 6: All time high of one lakh cases in India). The Health Ministry should start vaccinations to all age groups above 18. For our population of one billion, it would take significant time and hence we need to actively involve private sector and all health centres in the mass vaccination program.

The central government should also open up to other vaccines as well, such as from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna apart from home made Covaxin and Covishield. Most eligible Indians are hesitant to get vaccinated at the moment with the two vaccines available especially Covishield because most of European nations have restricted the use of AstraZeneca vaccine which is Covishield in India.

Giving the citizen the choice of the vaccine might increase the vaccination rate. Most people who can afford won't hesitate to spend from their pockets for the imported ones because they had spent huge amounts in Covid treatment.

Sajid Farooq, Kurnool

PM should move faster

This refers to "PM Modi to interact with CMs on Thursday" (THI 6 April). With cases reaching an all-time high in the last 24 hours, PM should have called for an emergency meeting instead of waiting until Thursday. However, in the meeting with CMs, the focus should be more on how to scale up the vaccination drive instead of lockdown and rightly observed by a well-known journalist is to unlock the vaccination process by empowering states in the process.

Also, on Covid appropriate behaviour ideally, he must start the meeting by making an appeal to all leaders including his own party men to strictly follow Covid appropriate behaviour which would, in turn, make people, in general, to take it seriously for their own safety and that of others. With only the West Bengal election campaign left, the PM should take lead to start virtual rallies and campaigning instead in person as it has been found that neither the leaders or the crowd are able to follow the Covid guidelines issued by the EC.

S Natarajan, New Delhi

Maharashtra muddle

Anil Deshmukh has quit and the NCP has taken this right, damage controlling decision. The CBI has been given by the High Court a trying 15-day period to submit its report. Given the serious nature of the allegations and huge money involved, the CBI has to unearth clinching evidence against the all powerful ex-Home Minister. Apart from garnering technical evidence, the CBI has to produce some physical evidence like huge property documents or finding huge amounts of currency in the houses of the accused as the CBI had done in the sensational case of Telecom minister late Sukh Ram.

I am sure that the CBI will find many more skeletons tumbling out from the cupboards and heads rolling out in the political arena. Soon the nation is going to witness many more such politician-police heinous nexus episodes, causing big earth-shattering political tremors in the country.

M Somasekhara Prasad, Hyderabad