Maharashtra Speaker’s decision

Refer to ‘Sena factional feud’; the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision to reject the plea for the disqualification of 16 MLAs from the Eknath Shinde faction and declare his group as the legitimate Shiv Sena was on expected lines. Historically, no Speaker has ruled against the interests of the ruling party/alliance — to which he or she belongs — in matters of disqualification under the anti-defection law. Given that the Speaker belongs to the BJP, it was evident that his decision would align with the government’s stance. The power of disqualification should ideally be vested in independent entities.

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Shiv Sena row

Apropos of ‘Sena factional feud’; the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker took over 18 months to give a decision, and when it was finally delivered, it made the political situation more complicated. Shinde’s fate hangs in the balance, pending the SC decision on the disqualification issue, as the Uddhav Thackeray faction plans to challenge the Speaker’s verdict in the apex court. If the SC verdict is not delivered by the time of the Lok Sabha elections or favours Shinde, he will continue to lead the ruling alliance. Winning the legal battle could position him to spearhead the coalition in the Assembly elections later in the year, with a strong chance of returning as CM if the alliance secures victory in the polls. For both Shinde and Thackeray, the verdict is just another round in their prolonged legal battle following a split in the party.

Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar

PM’s Christian outreach

Apropos of ‘Delving into the Christian outreach’; when the PM doesn’t hesitate to use his religion to secure votes, one may question whether he would show reluctance in using Christianity for the same purpose. While the invitees may have been impressed by the invitation, the majority of the Christians in India may not share the sentiments of the Church leaders. It’s important to note that not just the PM, but all politicians in general, often speak with a forked tongue and should not always be taken at face value.

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai

Indian passport rank

Apropos of ‘Indian passport 80th strongest, allows visa-free travel to 62 nations’; the Henley Passport Index rank of 80 is quite disappointing. Amidst all the hype in the country, with the Indian media projecting India as a ‘strong’ nation, the reality for someone holding an Indian passport is less promising. It allows visa-free travel to only 62 countries, well below the average index rank of 111. The country needs to do more than it currently does to improve its rank and compete with top-performing nations like France, Japan and Singapore.

Deepak Taak, Panchkula

‘One nation, one poll’ tough task

Apropos of ‘Centre’s diktat: Didi rejects 1 nation, 1 poll’; the concept of ‘one nation, one election’ is a well-thought-out and judicious approach to potentially save thousands of crores of rupees. This financial saving could be redirected towards development works and the welfare of the public, while also conserving the time and energy of state and district administrations across the country. However, the immediate implementation of this concept may pose challenges in a vast country like India. Each state has its unique administrative, judicial and legislative arrangements, along with different linguistic considerations. Coordinating elections for panchayats, local bodies/corporations, Assemblies and Lok Sabha polls simultaneously is a colossal task.

Raj Kumar Kapoor, Ropar

Need large military

Refer to ‘Situation at LAC stable but sensitive, troops to stay till required: Army Chief’; although it is logical to eliminate unwanted British-era units and generate modern ones, we need a much larger manpower to effectively address the challenges posed by hostile neighbouring countries sharing our borders. For the sake of long-term peace and security, we require a modern and large military. The option of mandatory military service should be explored.

Ashok Kumar Goel, Panchkula

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#Eknath Shinde #Maharashtra #Shiv Sena