Yediyurappa’s resignation

BS Yediyurappa has a record of never completing his full term. Even if one assumes Yediyurappa would have been a poor choice for the 2023 Karnataka polls, as he would have faced the burden of anti-incumbency, there are costs to be paid for his departure. The BJP will have to contend with the show of strength by the Lingayats in the ex CM’s favour. The Lingayats have been Yediyurappa’s great source of support, giving him pre-eminence ever since the BJP’s stunning rise to the status of a single largest party in 2004. Karnataka’s complex caste calculus led Yeddy to fashion himself as a social coalition builder rather than in the Hindutva mode.

LJS Panesar, by mail

History repeats itself

History has repeated itself in Karnataka with BS Yediyurappa resigning again before completing his term. His quitting the office in 2011 had plunged the BJP into chaos and a disastrous split from which it hasn’t recovered. A decade later, Yediyurappa’s clout has waned; younger rivals have constantly baited him, despite the ex-CM bringing the party the spoils of power by inducing 17 defections from the Congress and JD(S).

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Vulnerable Himachal

Reference to ‘Fatal landslides’; the tragic death of nine tourists in a landslip in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is another pointer to the fragility of the ecology in the Himalayan states. Hydropower, which Himachal is working to tap as a significant source of “green” power, can render it vulnerable to extreme climatic events such as cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides.

SS Paul, Nadia

Himachal tragedy

Visuals of vehicles being washed away in a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh are frightening. Massive landslides cannot merely be termed as natural disasters. Much of the blame lies on human activities and forest lands which are never meant to be fiddled with. The concept of responsible tourism by the host and the guest is a must. Every person living or coming to the hills is a stakeholder in holding on to the pristine environment. Green tax is meaningless if no effort is made to educate the visitor. Marshals should be appointed who would guide and reprimand the citizens in laying down norms which should be strictly followed.

Garv Bhupesh, Panchkula

Mamata’s bid for unity

Mamata Banerjee’s bid for Opposition unity is not likely to succeed, because of her vacillating nature and own ambitions to be the PM. Mamata’s TMC returned to power with a thumping victory, though she herself lost her seat. But after her party came back with a mammoth mandate, Mamata has been seen as irresponsible with her verbal attacks on the Governor and even the PM. This outreach could be read as an admission of her weakness, or a description of the emerging format of political competition, in which an aggressive BJP is forcing a redrawing of battle-lines.

PS Hanspaul, by mail

Reviving economy

The Union Finance Minister’s assertive no to print currency notes to tide over the economic crisis triggered by the Covid pandemic, speaks volumes of the sturdy fundamentals of the country’s economy and resolve to put it back on rails. The outgo of every rupee from public purse on wasteful expenditure should be checked. Every rupee saved is revenue generated.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Malerkotla girl

Apropos of ‘Malerkotla girl blazes trail, plies auto’, it is an irony that 17-year-old Ritu Verma had to abandon her studies and start plying an auto to support her family comprising her mother and two sisters. Her father expired 14 years ago and her mother had to shut her small shop during the lockdown. Ritu, a student of Class XI, has also participated in state-level badminton championship. In spite of government schemes, her mother was not extended the benefit of pension. It is heartening that the Malerkotla administration has promised a job for her sister and badminton coaching for Ritu.

Upendra Sharma, by mail

Surveillance state

Apropos of ‘The end of a dream’, surveillance when taken to absurd heights can have the opposite effect. Instead of safeguarding the country from potential threats, it can create problems even for those who lead their own lives because of the state’s insecurities. Using technology to pin down terrorists and keep watch on elements inimical to the country is fine, but the power should not be misused for it can only be counter-productive.

BM Singh, Amritsar

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