My Opinion

Despite Ikhlaq’s brother’s appeal to all political parties not to create unnecessary tensions in the area, Dadri has seen a flurry of politicians trying to pose as well wishers of the family. Today finally Ikhlaq’s family met the district administration to stop all politicians from visiting them. They are in no mood to reopen their wounds again and again.

It must be most heart wrenching video for any parent to watch…the most painful words for any parent to listen to – the last message that of 15 year old Santosh before he committed a suicide for the humiliation he felt for not being able to pay his school fees. It is not about just one Santosh…it is about the drought stricken farmers in Telangana who are being forced to take such extreme steps. The state government must take cognizance of the gravity of the situation. The Chief Minister will have to assure the people that he is with them and that all steps are being taken to help them.

This is one of the most crucial elections where political parties are working overtime to chalk out strategies and are adopting every tactic that is available. For Nitish and Lalu it is about their political survival and for the BJP it is about their political prestige and aura. With stakes so high, it would not be wrong to say that the Bihar Assembly elections will impact the course of national politics. And political campaigning has just about begun. One would have to wait and watch how this electoral battle shapes up in the days to come

RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav may tone down his electoral promises after having been served a show cause notice by the EC for having repeatedly made casteist remarks. However it would be incorrect to say that Lalu will not refer to the issue of reservation anymore after all his entire political campaign is pegged on caste.

At the UNGA, Pakistan leaves no stone unturned in trying to corner India every year with its Kashmir rhetoric. It has always wanted a third party intervention but till date it has been unsuccessful. Pakistan has always demanded a demilitarisation of Kashmir and Siachen. Governments change, different parties come to power and yet there is nothing new that Pakistan has to offer….every Pakistani PM has repeatedly raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN.

The real truth of the Dadri incident must be unearthed. India TV’s correspondent has learnt that the identity of those boys who got the priest to make that fateful announcement and attack Ikhlaq and his family is well known to the villagers. One can hope that the police is able to punish the miscreants and send them to jail at the earliest. Instead of stoking the flames, political leaders could well ensure that communal harmony is maintained in the area especially leaders like Yogi Adityanath and Azam Khan who should refrain from making inflammatory speeches.

Nothing is more shameful for any society or country when its farmers are left with no other option but to take their own lives with the hope that their families are well compensated by the government after they are gone. And Telangana is certainly not far behind. There have been increasing cases of farmer suicides in the State. The government has put the figure at 430 ever since it came to power last year June. The Opposition says the Government is downplaying it and the actual figure is as high as 1200 and the National Crime Bureau has pegged it at 898 farmer suicides in this last one and a half years. Whatever may be the figure what is important is that political parties should leave aside their differences and come together to address this issue in order to help out the farmers and give them the confidence.

With Russia having launched airstrikes in Syria against the ISIS, it has added a new dimension to the Syrian crisis. Russia wants President Bashar-al-Assad, a key ally to strengthen his control in order to stem the growing menace of ISIS. However the US wants Assad to go and has hit out at Russia for the airstrikes. Both claim they are fighting against the ISIS and yet both the US and Russia are trying enjoy the spoils of war by trying to negate each other’s military actions in Syria.

As compared to Pak Occupied Kashmir, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir is far better. There is a democratically elected government, people have their basic rights and even have the power to voice their opinion…of course infrastructural facilities need to be further strengthened but the overall scenario is much better than what is prevalent in the region illegally occupied by Pakistan. Pakistan therefore is trying its best to destabilise this area…it is trying to spread a sense of fear amongst the people by promoting militancy in this area.

It is a no-holds-barred battle in Bihar. Lalu Yadav has openly referred to the Bihar polls as a clash of castes. The RJD supremo is trying garner support from the Dalits and the backward castes which comprise of more than 60% of the electorates and from the Muslims who account for about 17% of the electorates. While he is bent upon raking up the issue of reservation, BJP President, Amit Shah feels elections have to be fought on development as an issue. A war of words that is expected to gather more steam in a run up to the elections!

Even the Pakistani media has lauded the manner in which Narendra Modi has positioned himself in the US compared to their own Prime Minister who seems to have found himself on a sticky wicket. While Modi has succeeded in improving India’s image in the West by making the most of his visit to the US, Nawaz Sharif has managed to use only the United Nations to make Pakistan’s presence felt internationally by repeatedly raising the issue of Kashmir. Nawaz Sharif had to face a backlash at home when he failed to mention Kashmir in the joint statement with India at the Ufa Summit. And this time he was left with no other option.

The entire region of Kashmir is undoubtedly beautiful. Even Pak Occupied Kashmir is very scenic and rich in natural resources but there have been shocking revelations of the utmost brutality perpetrated by the Pakistani forces in this area and any voice of dissent is dealt with a heavy hand. There have been massive protests by the indigenous Kashmiri population who are irked by the growing terror camps in this area and the manner in which the Pakistani administration has been trying to muzzle their voices.