MyVoice: Views of our readers 9th October 2024

Free Hindu temples from govt control

When Muslim and Christian religious shrines are strictly under the control of their own boards and never seem to have landed in any disputes, why not Hindu temples also be handed over to the temple trusts? They get revenue from their own lands, hundies and donations. Government, thereby reduces its major responsibility. Power pelf, ostentation and selfishness should not play by the trustees and the Govts. Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam under Endowment Department has never been involved in malpractices earlier. After laddu adulteration menace, people opine to keep the temples free from Govt control. However, religious independent boards are part of the State and govt’s involvement must be there for safeguarding from untoward events.

N Ramalakshmi, Bolarum, Secunderabad

Stellar performance by BJP in Haryana

The BJP’s stellar performance, debunking the poll pundits and exit polls in Haryana Assembly elections, is a shot in the arm for the saffron party which has been somewhat lying low in the backdrop of the unimpressive performance in the last Lokasabha elections. By winning an unprecedented straight third term, it upset the Congress’s apple cart. BJP’s better performance than the previous election - increasing its tally in the Assembly implies that Congress failed to exploit the much touted anti-incumbency against the 10-years old government. The Congress’s major campaign on the caste census didn’t influence the electorate as well. On the other hand, BJP has got its calculations and strategies right. The change of the guard in the state, fielding of winnable candidates and warding off the antagonistic sentiments of the farmers against it worked well in its favour. Yet again, PM Modi proved that he is a vote-catcher.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Washington, USA

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The exit poll pundits appeared to have ‘erred’ in Haryana but ‘succeeded’ in J&K!. In Haryana the BJP won a historic third term albeit with a reduced number of seats. In J&K even though BJP put up a better show this time, the NC-INC combine bulldozed its way to power perhaps reflecting on the sensitive aspects related to that Muslim dominated State. The elections to J&K assembly held after the abrogation of Article 370 seem to have given some insight into the mood of the electorate. Unfortunately the voting percentage somehow refuses to improve because several voters won’t turnout to vote, which is not a good omen for the country’s thriving democracy. Over all, both NDA and INDIA alliance or opposition have “improved” in their own way as the results were a mixed bag. A bigger battle is awaited in Maharashtra wherein both NDA and the opposition would fight it out to grab power in the most important State.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

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The NDA and the INDIA are even winning Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, both have a strength of 90 MLAs each, respectively. By winning Haryana for the third consecutive term defying anti-incumbency and retaining the state as one of its bastions, the BJP has demonstrated its continuing predominance in the Hindi heartland. If the election result is anything to go by, jawans, kisans and wrestlers and their families who form the bulk of the electorate were not as displeased or disenchanted with the BJP, as made out to be. The Agniveer scheme and the treatment meted out to farmers and wrestlers did not tilt the balance in favour of the Congress. The BJP seems to have romped home on the strength of the overarching appeal of Hindutva. Religion is still a potent centre of devotion for the voters, or so it seems. The clear political message is that the secular and social justice forces still have a long way to go before becoming acceptable to the people as an alternative to the Hindutva forces. However, we persist in our thinking that the heyday of the BJP is over and the Modi magic has faded. In Jammu and Kashmir the Congress-National Conference has emerged as the clear winner, leaving no room for the BJP to maneuver and form a government.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu