Politics in Tamil Nadu
I have been an observer of elections in Tamil Nadu since 1951-52, first as a student, then as an employee, and now as a retired man. The huge promises and freebies that parties in Tamil Nadu make in their manifestos to garner votes in their favour still remain unmatched in India (Page 1, “Ruling AIADMK promises washing machines for all”, March 15). In today’s elections, promises and freebies come first, while assessing governance comes a distant second, which is against democratic principles. By reading through the AIADMK’s mind-boggling sop list, one is sceptical whether these promises will be implemented. One wonders whether their financial implications have been factored in. People need to exercise their voting right judiciously to elect clean and sincere law makers.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
I was in for a shock when the DMK promised many measures but that has now paled into insignificance after reading what the ruling AIADMK has pledged to do. A rough estimate of the cost of most of the doles would work out to ₹30,000 per person. Can the AIADMK bear such a gargantuan expenditure? The exchequer will be empty in a matter of months. Promises are made solemnly before any election but these are not kept. It is well known that MLAs, once elected, are hardly seen in their constituencies.
Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai
It is regrettable that no party has promised clean administration and good governance, free of corruption and nepotism. The electorate is too mature to be hoodwinked by such fleeting sops. The people should weigh the credentials of election candidates and exercise their franchise with discretion lest they should suffer in silence over possible mis-governance for another five long years.
P.K. Varadarajan,
Chennai
In Tamil Nadu, the man on the street is left wondering whether two of the political players in the fray, Seemaan and Kamal Haasan and their parties, are the B teams of the Bharatiya Janata Party. One aspect makes one feel they are: the money both parties are spending on their election campaigns and huge rallies. Will the leaders who are speaking about honesty and corruption-free governance give us a convincing reason on how they manage the amounts they are now splurging or who is funding them?
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Quad meet
It bodes well for India and the other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, that the first-ever leadership summit turned out to be a meaningful exercise.
However, China should realise that if the Quad has gained momentum today, it has only itself to blame. The fact that time-tested India-Russian ties have lost some of its warmth, with Moscow strengthening ties with Pakistan and China, also seems to have played a role in New Delhi looking elsewhere for support. China’s grandiose ambition of becoming the next superpower is understandable, but it should attain this by peaceful means.
Nalini Vijayaraghavan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Vaccination drive
It has been reported that some private hospitals have started issuing a false certificate for comorbidities to those between the ages of 45 years and 60 years to get vaccinated out of turn — and all for a grand fee. This is shameful and unethical and I earnestly request members of the medical fraternity not to encourage this.
In the larger interest of the country, the central government should stop the export of COVID-19 vaccines till every Indian is vaccinated. There are many on the fringes of society who are in need of the vaccine.
Dr. Sunil Chopra,
Ludhiana, Punjab
