Voters not puppets

With elections round the corner, the political leaders along with their families are luring the public with freebies, waiving loans, promising to set up corporations to control corruption and mafias and creating job opportunities. Who is the guardian of all these ‘guarantees’? The promises should be made time-bound and all parties should legalise their manifestos, giving an affidavit to the authorities with the repercussion of their election becoming null and void and no candidature for their family in the next term, if they don’t fulfil their promises. Every time politicians fool people with their words, criticising the opposition but themselves failing in their terms, and thus exploiting public interest and hopes. We are not puppets in the hands of these parties and must not elect our representatives based on caste, creed, religion and freebies.

Harsimranvir Singh, Patiala

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Criminals in fray

Despite the tall claims of the party in power, including the big bosses of almost all parties, to decriminalise politics, a large number of contesting candidates with criminal antecedents are still in the fray. Although, the apex court has decided to dispose of the pending cases of such politicians expeditiously, it may not suffice to stem the rot unless the evil is nipped in the bud and such politicians are legally banned from contesting the elections by bringing in a suitable amendment to the Representation of People's Act and election laws sooner than later lest law-breakers become lawmakers.

Maheshwer sharma, by mail

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Choice before a voter

Vote is a double-edged sword; if cast right, it brings development and prosperity, otherwise destruction. The parties and candidates alluring the voters after spending crores of rupees in the form of big hoardings, large cavalcades of SUV vehicles, offering money and liquor can do nothing either for the poor and the common man or for the society and the nation. They are investing to multiply their ill-gotten wealth. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of the voter to understand the evil designs of such candidates and vote for honest, dedicated and responsible candidates by rising above party politics. 

Vijay Syal, Sangrur

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Taking electorate for ride 

Refer to ‘Not as good as their word’; the amount of sops being announced in manifestos by various political parties are detrimental to financial discipline. Punjab is already under debt of Rs 2.61 lakh crore and the corresponding figure for Uttar Pradesh is 6.11 lakh crore. The economic equation involving the promised schemes will swell the debt. People should insist on those welfare and development projects which are in public and national interest. Announcements should be practically able to meet the targets and certainly not aimed at deceiving the voters. 

Subhash Vaid, New  Delhi

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No violation of dress code

For a country that professes to be secular, State interference in socio-religious conflicts has always posed a problem. On the one hand, the State must concede space for people to exercise their religious liberties, and on the other hand, it must ensure that people do not transgress legal and constitutional boundaries. The recent controversy in Karnataka over the right of female students to wear hijab in schools and colleges has reignited this issue. To determine whether or not a religious practice is permissible, it is necessary to examine if the practice obstructs the individual and religious freedoms of other people. It is also necessary to make sure that that disputed practice is not being coerced on the practitioner and such practice is taking place within the framework established by law. Women wearing hijab are not violating a dress code. Furthermore, they are not impeding other students from receiving education or from practicing their faith. The issue is not as complicated and controversial as people have made it out to be. In a pluralistic society, inter-religious contact is inevitable and therefore, people must learn to tolerate other religious practices that aren’t their own.

Nissim Aggarwal, Chandigarh

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CBSE must step in 

The Haryana School Education Board has directed to hold exams for class VIII for all schools in Haryana, including private schools affiliated to other boards. The number of CBSE affiliated schools may be even more than government schools. NEP 2020 lays down board exams for class VIII and do away with class X board exams. However, now a larger confusion has been created by the HSEB. The CBSE needs to take the lead to approach the government and not leave it to individual schools to fight a legal battle. It is not advisable to have two different boards in the same school. If class VIII board is essential during this session, the CBSE should hold the exams.

RC Patial, by mail

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