Issues in Punjab
In this round of the Assembly elections in Punjab, the difference, unlike earlier, is that there have been varied party combinations trying their luck. The traditional Congress-Akali ‘system’ has faced a challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party, a Captain Amarinder-led party, a farmer-led combination and a few others. The run-up to this election has also seen unprecedented defections. Some of the important issues such as education, health and unemployment appeared to be on the list but there have been a list of freebies to try and please the voter. In reality, Punjab is witnessing a slide, economically and socially. The economy is in decline, agriculture faces many issues, there is brain drain and the menace of narcotics hangs over the State like a cloud. Whichever party wins, transforming Punjab should be its main agenda.
Vishiwjeet Singh,
Chandigarh
NSE case
The curious case of the unknown yogi in the NSE case is even better than the best suspense thrillers and stories! The probe team has a massive task in unravelling the irregularities.
The entire sordid episode shows that much of India’s wealth is in the hands of manipulators, which is extremely bad as investors could lose faith in the system.
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
Local body elections
The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission deserves praise for ensuring that the urban local body polls were generally incident free and that voters exercised their franchise without fear. It is unfortunate that in urban areas, the turnout was low. Ensuring that there is a fair and free election is a challenge as the culture of granting freebies and the like must be rooted out.
Rajakumar Arulanandham,
Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu
It is unfortunate that voter turnout in certain corporations was low. Every citizen, especially from urban areas, should have exercised their franchise. The people of Chennai should realise that many of their unique issues require their voices to be heard; they ought to have voted!
T. Aravinthkumaran,
Uthukuli, Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu
Uthukuli, Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu
