Editor,
As of October 2024, the conflict in Gaza has reached harrowing new heights. The relentless airstrikes by Israel have claimed over 42,000 Palestinian lives since October 2023, with many of the dead being women and children. Nearly 1.9 million people, a staggering 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced, left without access to basic necessities like water, food, and shelter. The destruction is so pervasive that thousands of people remain buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings, their bodies yet to be recovered.
In Lebanon, the story is equally grim. Israeli bombardments have killed more than 500 civilians, and nearly half a million people have been forced to flee their homes in the south. These numbers have swelled following Israel’s first ground incursion into Lebanon since 2006, targeting Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah’s retaliatory attacks have also killed dozens of Israeli civilians. Both sides stand accused of violating international humanitarian law by engaging in indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.
The complicity of global powers like the United States and Europe in this escalating violence cannot be ignored. These nations continue to supply arms and provide political cover to Israel, fueling the conflict rather than fostering peace. Their intervention not only prolongs the violence but makes them equally responsible for the tragic loss of life on all sides. Until these powers withdraw their interference and focus on genuine diplomatic solutions, the region will remain trapped in a destructive cycle of violence, with innocent civilians bearing the brunt of the consequences.
Statistics at a Glance:
Gaza Death Toll: 42,000+ Palestinians killed.
Displaced in Gaza: Nearly 1.9 million people.
Lebanon Casualties: 500+ civilians killed.
Displaced in Lebanon: Almost 500,000 people forced from their homes
Sources: NRC, Amnesty International, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The time has come to rethink global involvement in these conflicts. As long as foreign powers prioritize geopolitical interests over human lives, peace will remain an elusive dream for the region, and the suffering of ordinary people will continue unabated.
Yours etc.,
Wasim Siddiqui,
Via email
Haryana & J&K assembly election results affirm the maturing of democracy in India
Editor,
In both the above states election results are not as predicted in the exit polls and BJP has got absolute majority in Haryana while the Congress – National Conference combine obtained a clear majority in Jammu & Kashmir.The results actually affirm that democracy in India has matured. In India voters have used their free will to decide the future of their states.
In Haryana this is the first time that any Government had been re-elected for the third time in North India. The results of Haryana are a severe setback for the Congress as it was emerging stronger under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. No doubt the Congress raised the issues of the common man but the Party failed to resonate with the voters since the Party could not show a sustainable economic road-map before the public. Today people want to see action and are fatigued by unfulfilled promises. Whether it is BJP or.opposition parties, both are raising the issue of religion which tends to divide people and is therefore detrimental to democracy. The central Government appears to have taken into consideration the farmers’ issues for which they have been agitating. It was therefore a good step taken by the Haryana Government to declare MSP on all the 24 items on August 4 this year. This makes Haryana the first state in India to do this on such a wide scale. This move is seen as a strategic effort before the upcoming Assembly elections, especially after the BJP’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections..
In Jammu and Kashmir, where BJP hoped to write a new chapter for ‘Naya Kashmir’ after the abrogation of Article 370, the Party failed to gain the upper hand in the Jammu region and thwart the prospects of the National Conference- Congress alliance.Now the Central Government should again revive the status of Jammu and Kashmir which had earlier been relegated to a Union Territory which is against the wish of the common citizens of the state. Moreover the problems of Ladakh too should be solved.
India is the world’s largest democracy while the US is the oldest democracy. India will take many more years more to reach the level of the US and in this regard two factors are worth mentioning. There is no system of whip in the USA as in India and there is no Election Commission either. In India political parties go to the Election Commission for every complaint. In the US people follow self-imposed discipline. When there was impeachment against Bill Clinton the final decision of the jury was,”no charges proved but still there is a charge against Clinton that he unnecessarily wasted the valuable time of the country which could have been used for other progressive purposes. Moreover the ingredients of a mature democracy demand that there be no place for caste, creed, religion, favouritism, nepotism and corruption etc. Here national issues suçh as employment and inflation as well as the issues of health care and education take centre-stage and a common man knows the importance of his/her vote.
In a month from now assembly elections for Maharashtra and Jharkhand will be declared and elections for 46 assembly seats one Lok Sabha seat of Wayanad will be declared. BJP is speaking against dynastic rule. At the grassroots level the public impression is that Government agencies are being misutilised against the Opposition parties and when the same person joins the BJP all corruption charges are dropped. Such feelings undermine the democratic set-up and the Government should refrain from it. In this regard many examples are being circulated in the media.
For now the BJP has repeated the experiment of Gujarat in Haryana where the Chief Minister was changed and this experiment proved successful. The BJP has got new confidence and is likely to win the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand to offset the poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
Haryana’s results now put a question mark on the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Merely showing the copy of the Constitution will not serve the purpose because he is silent about any action in Karnataka where the High Court had given an adverse verdict against him. As AAP has not been successful in Haryana so the INDIA bloc has to clear it’s stand on the next assembly elections in Delhi. A Shiv Sena leader had made adverse remarks against the Congress after the declaration of Haryana results and said that Congress cannot defeat the BJP in a direct fight. This is an indirect hint that in Maharashtra the Chief Ministerial candidate should be from Shiv Sena. Some such reactions are expected in the coming weeks.
Lastly it must be mentioned that BJP got 45 seats in 2014, 40 seats in 2019 and in 2024 these assembly seats had further increased which shows there is a maturing of democracy as the same had happened in Jammu & Kashmir too where the NC- Congress combine got more than 50 seats.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email