Kejriwal shows the way

The outcome of the Delhi Assembly poll has given a new direction to the country’s political discourse (‘Curing a dangerous madness’; Nous Indica, Feb 12). The landslide victory of the AAP clearly indicates that the educated and young voters have chosen polite and progressive politics over the BJP’s abusive, communal, divisive and regressive one. While the AAP focused on governance and development agenda, the BJP’s political strategists relied on its core ideological national issues, particularly the high-pitched anti-Muslim rhetoric over the CAA and the NRC. The saffron party has failed to realise that people are fed up with economic slowdown, unemployment, price rise, corruption, violence, etc. Its national leadership should introspect and draw lessons from Kejriwal’s model of performance, so that the progressive and liberal-minded Indians can fulfil their aspirations and relish the glory of achhe din.

DS Kang, Hoshiarpur

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Take cue from Delhi

The Delhi election results have also rung alarm bells for the current government of Punjab. The development model adopted by the AAP government in Delhi has yielded results for the party. The Kejriwal government has brought the Budget under profit. Manpreet Badal should take some lessons in economics from Kejriwal and try to give relief to the people of Punjab, who are paying a hefty tariff for electricity, water and other facilities.

Harpreet Singh, by mail

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New kind of politics

The victory of the AAP has proved that votes cannot be won on the basis of nationalism and religious talks; voters want solidarity and development through proper administration. The AAP evidently worked for the welfare of the people and ignored all trash talk and criticism from the Opposition. Its focus and dedication is praiseworthy. The AAP win is also a clear verdict on CAA-NRC. The Assembly elections had garnered the attention of the entire country. The party has set a strong bar for the administration of other states. The BJP should now learn a lesson that the same strategy it used in the Lok Sabha polls can’t be used always. A new kind of politics has emerged.

Maitri Bhardwaj, Patiala

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Yes to performance

The BJP’s crushing defeat was inevitable. The party that won 300-plus seats in the Lok Sabha polls last year seems to have lost control over the mind and opinion of people. Delhi is the heart of our country and Delhiites voted on the work done by the AAP. It won’t be wrong to say that the AAP has emerged as a new brand of politics. NRC-CAA, Article 370 and calling the election ‘India vs Pakistan’ drowned the BJP. The AAP led the election by its work, whereas the BJP only had provocative statements.

Tajinder Gill, Patiala

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BJP must change agenda

The BJP’s defeat in Delhi elections was bound to happen. The party must have realised that points, issues and matters to be raised before the public can never remain the same. It could not have won elections on security issue. There should be a change in agenda. It must introspect after having lost so many Assembly elections. It should be clear what it wants to do and how it has to be achieved. On the contrary, Kejriwal’s party had highlighted issues like development works which led to victory.

SANJAY CHAWLA, AMRITSAR

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Why resent freebies?

Refer to comments by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij that ‘Delhi ke chunaav mein mudde haar gaye, muftkhori jeet gai’; he has disgraced the intelligent voters of Delhi who elected a highly educated CM on the basis of his past performance, while rejecting the politics of hatred of the BJP. Moreover these politicians themselves enjoy all the freebies on taxpayers’ money, but if a little goes to the common people, it bites them.

Bhupinder Kochhar, by mail

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Khushwant’s India

The article ‘Why Khushwant Singh considered himself an Indian’ (Feb 9) portrays a true picture of Khushwant Singh. Though his ‘likes’ — wine, food, women — were better in foreign countries, his mind was happy more in India than anywhere else. I am reminded of ‘Sare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara’. Emperor Jehangir said in Persian: Agar firdaus bar-rue zameen ast, Hameen asto, hameen asto, hameen ast (If ever heaven exists on earth, it is here only, it is here only). Our population has exploded because it is a likeable country. We should register the entire population and effectively stem any further influx.

Mohinder Behl, Gurdaspur

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