My Opinion

Of late, there have been fresh charges against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Seventyfive persons were appointed in Delhi Women Commission, some of them were appointed on Rs 1 lakh salary. Similar appointments to party sympathizers were made in Delhi Secretariat, Mohalla clinics and other services. No sanction was sought for these appointments from the Lt. Governor of Delhi. Now that these appointments are being probed, two questions arise: One, these were made overlooking rules, and Two, appointing partymen to government posts amounts to injustice to thousands of other youths who are unemployed. If the charges are baseless, then Kejriwal need not fear, but if the charges are proved beyond doubt, then he should be ready to defend himself and be prepared to face punishment.

People in Kashmir Valley desire to live in peace.

Kashmiri families want their children to grow up to become better human beings, traders want peace to prevail, but the problem is that their sane voices are drowned in the cacophony of conspiracy and politics.

Of course, the painful reality is that use of force with the help of bullets and guns to bring back normalcy, can only succeed for a limited period only.

When common people realize that throwing stones at policemen, encouraging militancy, giving strike calls, shutting down shops hurts them the most, then people start talking, they come out in the open.

The instigators then withdraw, giving way to a solution. Now that the common Kashmiri has begun to speak up, one should hope that their sane voices will have the desired effect.

Sakhshi’s feat is by no means small. She is the first woman wrestler after seventy years of independence and the fourth female athlete to have bagged a medal in the Olympics. Kudos to her for her stupendous achievement. However what is worth worrying is that a country with a population of 125 crores is having to console itself with only a Bronze medal. We need to find out, in a country where there is no dearth of talent and where there are athletes who are working very hard, what is stopping us; how such problems can be overcome so that the country does not have to wait so anxiously and is able to cherish such achievements like that of Sakshi more often. Should we not start preparing for the Olympics four years in advance?

With PV Sindhu’s win today, India is now assured of a silver medal in Badminton. She defeated her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara who put up a spirited fight, in straight sets. Nothing can stop Sindhu from winning silver but the whole country is hoping that she wins the gold by defeating Spain’s Carolina Marin in the finals. Given the way Sindhu has been performing, there is a high chance that she can win. Nothing can be more proud than two daughters of India winning laurels for the country especially on a day like Rakshabandhan!

States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat have banned the Chinese ‘manja’ or the kite string. The Delhi Government has been repeatedly clamouring for a similar ban…a PIL is also pending in High Court. The Court had asked the Government to implement the ban before August 15 but the Delhi Government had petitioned that the ban could not be implemented in haste. Now with three people having died, the Delhi Government has today issued a notification imposing the ban. Had the government acted earlier, perhaps the tragedies could have been avoided. It is well known that during holidays like Independence Day or Rakshabandhan, kite flying becomes very popular and the dangerous Chinese manja is sold in high numbers. The question that the Delhi Government will have to answer is why despite a young man having lost his life last year and fifteen people having been injured, there were delays in implementing a ban.

It seems that those who raised anti India slogans at the programme organised by Amnesty International in Bengaluru are the same people who raised such slogans in JNU in February this year. They are a handful of 10-12 people who have perhaps now travelled to Bengaluru to create an impression that people across the country are concerned about Kashmir. The Government must identify these people and take strict action against them.

The Congress party may allege that Balochistan is Pakistan’s internal matter and any reference would only complicate matters in Kashmir. Pakistan has always been in denial and has never allowed any Baloch leader to even enter the country. However there has been a huge development with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s references to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech which seems to have unsettled Pakistan. The country has now extended an invite to Baloch leaders in exile for talks.

It is worth noting that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav took prompt action when he received a letter from a young girl seeking his help. However it is not possible for every victim to approach the CM or even muster the courage and write a letter and it is equally not possible for the Chief Minister to read every letter and take immediate action. It is necessary to therefore change the system, take corrective measures and make the police aware of their responsibilities. The police and the government will have to come together to improve the system.

Sports Minister Vijay Goel’s photographs and selfies with players at the Rio Olympics have been doing the rounds in social media . Perhaps his aides were unaware of the rules and inadvertently entered restricted areas in the games arena. It could be a case of misunderstanding. However Vijay Goel is no ordinary citizen…he is a Minister in the Central Government. He would have to abide by the laws of the land. Even if a gaffe was made, there is no harm in owning up and besides Vijay Goel has not been implicated directly. Those who are accompanying him are in the spotlight…they need to be disciplined.

Shahrukh Khan is large hearted enough to have taken his detention in the US very lightly. He has never expressed his anger but the truth is the actor has often been at the receiving end and each time an apology is tendered. The name Khan is what sets alarm bells ringing amongst the security. Another similar incident has come to the forefront. Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s visa for the United Kingdom also got rejected. The Maestro who was supposed to perform at the Royal Festival Hall in September said he has been performing in the UK every year for the past forty years but this year he has been denied a valid visa. He has complained to the Indian HC in UK and to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. One can hope this matter will soon be resolved.

Nitish Kumar was lauded by all when prohibition was imposed in Bihar. However the manner in which the law is being implemented with many cases coming to the forefront, it has invited lot of criticisms. If caught, not just the offender but his family and the entire village would be held responsible as per the provisions of the act and a hefty fine of Rupees Five Thousand to be imposed on such poor families. Incase of any irregularities found in any area, the officer in-charge of the police station would be suspended and would not get any posting in any police station for the next ten years. Such draconian sections have been condemned by people but the Bihar Chief Minister maintains that there are vested interests who are bent upon misinforming people. In that case how does one justify the entire village being held culpable? Or under what provisions have ten cops been suspended?

All political parties have today unanimously said that Kashmir is an integral part of India and Kashmiris have equal right on the land they live and the right to enjoy their freedom like the rest of the country. A solution would have to be worked out keeping this is mind. It is therefore important to engage with the youth of Kashmir inorder to resolve the crisis.