Parrikar's dual roles
Manohar Parrikar has always been an enigmatic personality and now he sounds like that all the more so. Even though there have been repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan, the Defence Minister is seen spending a lot of time in Goa inaugurating fish-stalls and taking part in “mahasampark abhiyans”.
When in opposition the BJP had taken a hard stand and promised to retaliate and teach a lesson to Pakistan. Even after the successful Myanmar operation it would be a tit-for-tat whenever provoked, the BJP had vouched. But now, the high decibel Modi and his cohorts seem at their wit’s end as far as a “fitting rebuttal” to Pakistan is concerned. Worse, the BJP is already sending signals that it is meekly caving in. To me, our superman Parrikar with his superlative intellect, is the only hope that India will find a strategy to counter Pakistan. However, to this effect, he should stop making frequent jaunts to Goa while dedicating himself 100 percent to India’s defence problems.
Dr Francisco Colaco, Margao
Brighten up Panaji
Panaji has so many spaces that can be turned into little roadside cafes from October to May. What we need in this city is more attractions to draw people here. We have beautiful buildings, like the Adil Shah Palace and the Old GMC complex, as well as Fontainhas, but with a few roadside cafes and perhaps even art spaces, we can turn the capital city into a great cultural space. There have been movements in the past that slowly fizzled out due to inaction or apathy on the part of the authorities. Perhaps we need a art and cultural movement to revive this and create a more colourful Panaji.
Cynthia Andrade, Taleigao
The story on the Dhyan Foundation on Sunday is a good one, especially since it brings to light to lack of sympathy we have for animals. But, we still need to seriously address the issue of stray cattle and dogs on the streets that pose a problem for motorists. Gangs of dogs are also a danger to solitary passers-by. The government and NGOs need to find common ground on what can be done to rehabilitate these animals without compromising on their well-being. Animals are important and we should definitely protect them and take care of them, but we cannot do it at the cost of human life. We must find a balance here. The government washes its hands off animals welfare mostly, but should probably allot land so that some deserving NGOs can continue their work in earnest.
Amey Borkar, Porvorim
Parrikar's corruption U-turn
Regarding the Louis Berger bribery scam, is Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar serious on taking action on ex-Congress Goa minister or will this be another of his major U-turns? He promised action against the ex Congress Goa ministers but did his normal U-Turn despite having enough evidence to do so. Which begs the question, is the BJP also hand in glove with the Congress on these corrupt activities?
Arwin Mesquita, Colva
