On Govt Calendar And Profligacy
EVERY year, we bought the Goa government-published calendar for Rs 40. The calendar was very handy and useful, as it carried all the government notified public and restricted holidays on it. We are already in the New Year and it is for the first time ever that we have no access to that government calendar. It is an irony that this has happened in a year when Goa is needlessly spending Rs 100 crore on a yearlong celebration of Goa’s 60th year of Liberation. The government needs to clarify as to why the 2021 calendar is not yet available. It is high time the government got its priorities right. There is need to heed to the voice of the people and govern with responsibility as sincere custodians of the state. There should be total transparency and absolute accountability at all levels of governance. Only then will the now debt-ridden Goa be on the road to economic recovery.
AIRES RODRIGUES, RIBANDAR
US Game Plan On Tibet
The US successfully passed the Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2020 despite China’s protest. The passage of the TPSA strengthened the American policy on Tibet and reaffirmed the government’s support for the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration. The TPSA stipulates that decisions regarding the ‘reincarnation’ of the Dalai Lama are exclusively within the authority of the present Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the Tibetan people. Stringent sanctions will be imposed for interference by Chinese government officials. The role of the Tibetan administration assumes significance against the backdrop of Chinese aggression at the Indian boundaries along the line of actual control and its decision to appoint its own successor to the Dalai Lama. Preparations are in full swing for the elections for the CTA and the Tibetan government-in-exile will elect its head. Apart from COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 also witnessed rising diplomatic tensions between the US and China. If any of the Chinese officials interferes with the succession of the Dalai Lama, the act will cause economic and visa sanctions. As per the act, China will have to allow the opening of a US consulate in Lhasa, before any new Chinese consulate can be opened in the US. The act contains special provisions for the approval of high amounts of money for the welfare of Tibetans. It must be remembered that China’s construction of dams across the Brahmaputra in the Tibetan region will have an impact on the quantity of water flowing to northeastern India. Given that India’s stand on the Tibet issue will adversely affect the already strained relations with China, It cannot act freely on Tibet or make an alignment with the US. However, it must never refrain from raising the issue at international levels.
VENU G S, KOLLAM
TN Is A Tough Test For BJP
BY tradition, the Dravadian parties have called the shots in Tamil Nadu. The Congress and the BJP have played second fiddle to the DMK and the AIADMK. With the assembly elections closing in, the BJP wanted to make some strides in Tamil Nadu buoyed by the situational change in West Bengal. Onlookers are surprised, though not shocked, that the AIADMK chose to snub the powerful party in power at the Centre by asking it not to be too enthusiastic about power sharing. It cannot be that the AIADMK is afraid of the BJP bagging a lion’s share in seat distribution or that its chief minister’s post is threatened by the BJP. Nothing can be further from the truth. But the party does not intend to alienate its own support base. The common man of the state views a Dravadian party quite differently from the rest. The AIADMK and the DMK stand for specific principles and beliefs related exclusives to the state. The possibility of such parties being dictated by a party like the BJP may not be to the liking of a Tamil Nadu voter. Also, the DMK, notwithstanding its dismal show in the general elections, can upset the AIADMK’s applecart. Rajinikanth shying away from politics will benefit the AIADMK though V K Sasikala, who is set to return to the state after her release from the jail, may have an ace or two up her sleeve. The BJP is not known to keep friends through thick and thin. In other states, some allies have been used and thrown by the party. The AIADMK is a different kettle of fish. In a state like Tamil Nadu, the BJP needs to something to cling on to, and the AIADMK decided to align with the all powerful BJP not without reason. Striking an attitude, after all, pays dividends in politics.
GANAPATHI BHAT, AKOLA