Only a minister can improve constituencies?
In a very strange argument Rajendra Arlekar who was the Speaker of the Goa Assembly for the last over three years has claimed that he needed to be a Minister to ensure development of his Pernem Constituency. Is he implying that being a ruling MLA and holding the high office of Speaker he was unable to nurse his constituency which incidentally is neighboring Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s Mandrem constituency. So if you have to be one of Goa’s 12 Ministers for your constituency to see development, does Rajendra Arlekar want to tell us that the other 38 constituencies have remained neglected. It would also make us presume that this government is very partisan while carrying out development, with the constituencies of the Opposition obviously left in the lurch.
Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
Follow the law
It was quite amusing to read about the tiff between a famous theater personality and a traffic inspector over the issuing of a challan for a traffic offence in a Margao suburb that received extensive media coverage. While it is difficult to say who exactly is to be blamed for the fracas that ensued, it will go down as one of those cases where the public outrage against the ‘highhandedness’ of the police got the better of the alleged traffic violator which led to the unpleasant situation on the road. But with a rise in frequency of such incidents where members of the public have not desisted from taking on traffic enforcers over similar issues, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the public perception about police and their style of functioning is in want of a serious make over. Nevertheless, this doesn’t warrant a public response that questions the powers of the establishment at every turn. Laws of the land need to be adhered to very religiously by the citizens and those violating it should be strictly reprimanded. At the same time, the law-enforcers too need to get off their high horses and tread a reconciliatory path!
Pachu Menon, Margao
Changing India
It is to protest against rising intolerance that many writers and personalities have returned their awards, a simple form of resistance. However, there are those who question this move and wondered why now, why not before, when other atrocities were taking place? It’s a valid question but perhaps the point to be noted is that atleast it’s a start. The government of the day is turning a blind eye to atrocities and attempting to just focus on economic growth, assuming that if businesses do well then intolerance and racial crimes can get swept under the rug. This is probably the worst time in India’s history since 1947. The elections in Bihar perhaps will start a revolution of sorts if the BJP lose. If they win, then we will have to look to something else to change the way India thinks.
Sanjay Naik, Mapusa
