Major setback for AAP
The catastrophic defeat the AAP suffered in the Delhi elections has caused a crisis of immense proportions in the party. People voted the party to power in Delhi, expecting it to live up to their expectations. But it has failed to do so. A party that came to power as a crusader against corruption faces the challenge of corruption charges against its main leaders. Now, Arvind Kejriwal has to address the daunting challenge of keeping his MLAs together. The party has to face a bolstered BJP-led government. Given that AAP has lost control of the capital and its expansion beyond Delhi is slow, it risks further decline. The party still has a government in Punjab. That the party lost around 10 seats by a narrow margin brings little relief to it. As the opposition party, it has a very important role to play in the Delhi Assembly. AAP’s survival will depend on its ability to restore credibility. If it fails to do so, it risks vanishing into political obscurity.
Venu G S, Kollam
Ignominious defeat
This is with reference to the news report ‘BJP reconquers Delhi’ (NT Feb 9). BJP’s spectacular win in the Delhi Assembly polls with a two-thirds majority over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was on expected lines and needn’t even require any exit polls to predict its outcome. People all over the country have welcomed the victory, which now brings to an end 10 years of Arvind Kejriwal’s overbearing and autocratic manner of functioning and false promises that proved detrimental to the people and earned a bad name for the national capital city. The liquor policy, for instance, was one framed allegedly for personal gains and kickbacks, which brought loss to the Delhi government and proved to be the nemesis for Kejriwal and his close aides, who landed up in prison. Among the other charges levelled were poor infrastructure, bad roads, flooded streets and poor drainage, shortage of drinking water, very poor air quality, etc., which brought misery to people’s lives and a shame to the national capital.
A F Nazareth, Alto Porvorim
BJP juggernaut chugs on
BJP’s landslide victory in the Delhi polls surprised no one; the disintegration of the INDIA bloc was the single most contributing factor to the saffron party’s success. The recently concluded Lok Sabha elections proved that a united opposition can cut the BJP down to size. Internecine battles between the Congress and AAP, Kejriwal’s Achilles heel, the ‘Sheesh Mahal,’ which he built for himself, were exploited for all it was worth and delivered tremendous gains to the BJP. The BJP was also clever to announce the formation of the Eighth Pay Commission and income tax relief for the middle class in the Union Budget; this further boosted its chances at the hustings. Modi leading the election blitz all but sealed the saffron victory. With the Congress again being reduced to zero, it seems the foundation of an opposition-free Bharat has been well and truly laid. We may criticise the BJP, but they have mastered the art of winning elections; maybe the other parties can take a leaf out of its book.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
A dying vocation
The Goa government will reportedly complete its ongoing survey of all salt pans across the state within six months and formulate a policy for their conservation and support. However, what comes as a shocker is that from hundreds of salt pans, only 20 are operational. Obviously, a more detailed survey seems necessary. The ancient art of traditional salt production is fast dying in Goa as a result of industrialisation and a change in consumption habits. For centuries, the salt pans in Goa have produced the local salt. Incidentally, salt-making has been supported by sustainable food production steps taken in other parts of the world. However, a lot needs to be done in the state to save this tradition. Produced the same way for over 1,500 years, elderly people in the state are aware of how the salt was used for everything from cooking to disinfecting wells, healing a sore throat, bathing, cleaning, and even construction. Fisherfolk used the salt as a cleansing and preservative agent in processing seafood. Dried prawns and mackerels, a Goan delicacy during the monsoon season, are preserved using this salt. During the Portuguese regime, Goan salt rocketed into a global commodity and was exported within India and to Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. But now the salt pans have either been abandoned, littered with trash and debris, or have been taken over by real estate developers. Salt production is a labour-intensive process requiring toiling under the hot sun for hours and is no longer a viable source of income. Only steadfast support by the government can save this profession from extinction.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
