Editor,
People of Delhi have given a mandate against divisiveness and hatred. AAP’s victory is a clear choice made by the people of Delhi. It was basically a battle of two types of politics. One, communal to the hilt, fanning fear of violence, propagating the most outrageous lies, abusive in nature, poisonous and contemptuous. The other was a typical developmental type agenda, with appeals to different sections and classes, promising good governance, development, probity, and secular in approach.
AAP stuck to its designated track of talking about the work done in the past five years. There were several achievements that it could justifiably claim, including the reassertion of the role of government in affordable and good education and healthcare, reduced electricity and drinking water tariffs, etc. This welfarist approach had made AAP very popular, for it provided much needed relief to the struggling people of Delhi, faced with rising unemployment, stagnating incomes and sky-rocketing costs of basic food and other needs. Clearly the people of Delhi made a conscious choice to vote for better governance!
Yours etc
Advocate M Haque.
Shillong -6.
Delhi saves India’s secular credentials
Editor,
The mandate in Delhi Assembly polls can be safely deduced as the defeat of intolerance, communalism, violence, shootings, muscle flexing and supreme audacity. It is a sharp rebuttal to the mindset of thwarting free speech and character assassination of critics as “anti-nationals” or “Pakistanis”. It is a protest against the forces which are posing a fatal assault on democracy, Constitutional values and secular ethos.
The Delhi Assembly polls have acted as a frank reminder to the vested interests that dirty politics involving religion, hate speeches directed towards particular groups, communal polarisation, demonising Pakistan and rabid war-mongering will not save them from meeting disaster in the long run. People are in dire need of jobs, revival of economy, basic infrastructure necessary for life, security and peace which the particular force have scandalously failed to deliver. So Delhi has chosen the most appropriate opportunity and transmitted a strong message to the “party with the difference!”
Let this spirit of humanity spread from the Indian capital to all corners of the country and permanently uproot the merchants of hatred from the soil of Buddha, Nanak, Kabir Tagore, Gandhi, Nazrul to mention a few. Let the flag of India proudly wave and embrace all citizens of the land and persecuted refugees from neighbouring countries irrespective of their religious credentials.
Yours etc.,
Kajal Chatterjee,
Via email
Congress’s predicament
Editor,
In the Delhi post election scenario, the political picture that emerges tells its own story. The most unexpected defeat was felt by the Congress where 63 out of the 66 candidates fielded in the Delhi Assembly elections lost their deposits. The performance of the Congress party was so pathetic that its vote share came down to paltry 4.26 per cent. The party, which ruled Delhi for 15 years, suffered loss in the third consecutive assembly election since 2013. To justify the drubbing it got Congress honchos now say the Party supported the AAP to ensure BJP’s defeat and managed to transfer its votes to the AAP.
Belatedly, the Congress vowed to rebuild and revive itself at the grassroots level in the national capital. It said the poll results also had a message for the BJP that the most toxic campaign unleashed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been defeated. Equally worth noting is the defeat of the Congress ally RJD, which contested in four Assembly seats. It too lost its deposits.
On a closer analysis, it can be seen that the Congress pursued a policy of appeasement and it never seriously implemented any good policies to improve people’s living conditions. It only cared about fathering only more ‘crorepatis’ at the expense of the poor. But the unfortunate thing is that when the Congress wanted to rule the country sincerely with Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs, the goddess of nemesis began its retribution. In the last Lok Sabha election, Congress started campaigning projecting Rahul Gandhi to be the Prime Minister. Sadly, this fell flat and Congress suffered a humiliating defeat.
And now with the Congress debacle in the just concluded Delhi elections, it has been thoroughly mauled and mangled beyond recognition and there is not even a single seat won. This is an ignominious defeat. It is pathetic that even in the midst of the fiasco the Congress is only harping on BJP’s defeat in the Delhi polls. The Delhi elections send a strong message that people are becoming more politically aware of their rights and are no longer idiots. They have come of age and are independently able to judge political parties and to decide who to vote for without any outside persuasion. That is what we are going to witness from the coming elections.
As for the Congress party, they have not lost everything. History is replete such debacles. If the Party corrects itself by focusing on pro-people policies and rid themselves of dynasty, there is still hope for them.
Yours etc.,
TK Nandanan,
Via email