MyVoice: Views of our readers 7th March 2023

Heed ICMR advice on flu

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that the rising cases of intense cough lasting for over a week coupled with fever being observed in most parts of the country can be linked to influenza A H3N2, a subtype of a virus that causes flu. About half of all patients admitted with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and patients walking into clinics were found to be afflicted with influenza A H3N2. At least 92% of the hospitalised SARI patients detected with the virus were showing up with fever and up to 86% have cough. With pandemic restrictions no longer in place and case numbers being low, ICMR said said hands or using other forms of contact greeting should be discouraged to prevent the spread of the influenza subtype.

Jayanthi Subramaniam, Coimbatore

Make central agencies impartial

The letter to the Prime Minister by eight eminent opposition party leaders, including four CMs, regarding the use or misuse of central investigating agencies to browbeat opposition sounds logical. They urged him to uphold democracy by not stifling voices of opposition in a wrong route. Nobody asks the central investigating agencies to turn a blind to the wrongdoing. But it should be impartial in initiating or taking action. There are umpteen instances where the pace of investigation has changed according to the political stands. Their acts must be above suspicion and impartial for the health of democracy.

Dr DVG Sankararao, Vizianagaram

It is becoming increasingly fashionable for the Opposition to blame central investigative agencies like CBI, ED when the heat turned on them for financial and other discrepancies. These parties in question must indulge in some introspection for their role and culpability to charge levelled against them, before raising an accusing finger against the Centre. This playing out 'victim card mentality' will not hold water. As for these political parties to be at loggerheads with Governors in their respective states is purely on account of deviating drastically from professed rules of the Constitution in which elected governments are expected to behave and perform in level headed manner.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

Why call it Hindu rate of growth?

Students of Economics are taken aback at the revival of the term"Hindu rate of growth" after a lapse of four-and-a-half decades when it was said to have been first used by an economist Raj Krishna to describe a low Indian growth rate prevalent in our economy from the years 1950s to 1980s. He used it to denote the around 4 per cent growth in GDP from the 1950s to the 1980s. Why it is styled so? Is there any economic import for the word "Hindu"? So far, no economist or anyone has come up with any credible explanation for the use of the term, Hindu.' Slow growth and/or protectionist policies do not denote any religious connotation. Rather, let it be called a "Developing rate"

Seshagiri Row Karry, Hyderabad

BJP facing uphill task in South

Apropos 'BJP has its hands full down south' (6 March). In Karnataka, BJP has managed to make their presence felt and retained power by using both religious and caste cards. No wonder in spite of the party being in power at center and Modi as mascot, the party still needs 75-year-old B S Yediyurappa. In TN, they are yet to get either of the two factions of AIADMK and now using north Indian migrants working in Tamil Nadu to create unease in the state where there was no such divide existed. In Telangana, any attempt to use Amit Shah as guide will not yield any results as neither he or even Modi has any idea about ground reality outside Hyderabad.

N Nagarajan, Hyderabad

Through your editorial, "BJP has its hands full down South" ('Hans India', Mar 6), you have rightly visualised the electoral prospects of BJP in southern States. One cannot anticipate North East States' poll results with those down South. With its stable and efficient administration at one side, BRS is attracting electorate with 'freebies' like Dalit Bandhu, Shaadi Mubarak etc. It may be an uphill task for saffron party to dethrone BRS from 'gaddi' in next polls. Wooing other parties' leaders to its camp, too, may not yield desired results for BJP as was evident in Munugode bye election results. In spite of its loud talk, except Karnataka, BJP is still considered as a north Indian party by the rural voters of South. Next, with his instant local (rural) dialects (like Laloo Yadav of Bihar in past), KCR has still charisma to attract people's votes to his party's convenience during poll campaigns.

Govardhan R Jilla, Mumbai