MyVoice: Views of our readers 28th August 2024

Fools rush in...

A propos‘Is it time for India....’, after failing to broker any kind of peace initiatives in Ukraine, India should not try to meddle into the affairs of the Muslim states or Israel. It was embarrassing for us to have Zelensky rebuff the attempts at brokering peace in the region. The sagging popularity of the Prime Minister Modi would have been given a new life only if something had come out of the Ukraine visit. We would be guilty of overestimating our own strength if we try to meddle into matters that could further strain relations between the two warring states. India neither has the military strength, financial clout or moral authority to engineer peace between the Ukraine and Russia or the Middle East. The danger lies that we may end by infuriating the nations who have a healthy relationship with us.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

It’sunfortunate that Russia-Ukraine war has been intensifying further. The visit of Indian prime minister to war torn Ukraine and his immediate efforts to find peace by talking to Russian President and also to American President could not bring much respite in the war situation. The raising sympathy of global powers on Ukraine is seemingly making Russia uncomfortable. The audacity of warring countries is the main reason for failure of peace efforts of well intended countries. India should continue its peace-making efforts in Eurasia without leaving the field for countries with selfish agendas.

Dr DVG Sankara Rao,Vizianagaram, AP

Safety of women remains a question

Outrageover a trainee doctor’s rape-murder in Kolkata should serve as a wake-up call for the country. We cannot afford to delay any longer. As the nation grieves and protests the brutal rape-murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, we are compelled to ask: Whether walking the streets, working in offices or resting at home, can we genuinely claim that we have done enough to protect them? The stark reality forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth and the efforts, particularly by the protesters, have been inadequate. Every time such a tragedy occurs, a wave of outrage sweeps across the country. Protests flare up, calls for justice echo loudly, and for a brief moment, women’s safety becomes a national priority. Do we see sustained, meaningful action, or do we merely slip back into complacency, passively awaiting the next tragedy to jolt us awake? In Bengal, despite the existence of the Mission Shakti scheme and a comprehensive initiative designed to ensure women’s safety and empowerment, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. The situation is becoming worse.

C K Subramaniam,Navi Mumbai

A tale of two MPs

Itis unthinkable that a sitting member of the Parliament could describe the country’s farmers as ‘rapists and murderers’ and compare their protest to the popular uprising in Bangladesh resulting in a change of government. The MP who said what an MP should not say is the irrepressible Kangana Ranaut. Her exact words were that ‘the farmer’s agitation was a build-up to a Bangladesh-type situation in India’ and ‘dead bodies were hanging and rapes were taking place’ at the protest sites. The BJP did well to admonish her and reiterate its continued commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas in a bid to salvage the situation in the run-up to the Assembly election in Haryana. Nevertheless, the Bollywood actress-cum-MP should remember that unless farmers put their feet in the agricultural fields, she cannot put her hand on her plate and subsist. Suresh Gopi, an actor-cum-Union Minister too has come in for a lot of flak including his dialogue in a film ‘Just remember that’ prefixed with ‘Minister’ as a parody for his aggressive behaviour towards the media persons. He committed a grievous wrong when he acted in real life the way he sometimes used to act in reel life and pushed away reporters on the line of duty. The state unit of the BJP took issue with him on his stand on the revelations of sexual abuse by actresses. He expressed his reaction to the sexual assault allegations in the form of a question which was ‘whether the accused were convicted by courts’ and gave the impression that he was trying to defend the defenceless and he had no empathy for the victims. Gopi must apologise for getting physical with reporters.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu