Rahul Gandhi’s Disqualification
The conviction of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court and his subsequent disqualification as a member of parliament in a defamation case recently is regrettable.
Time has come all opposition parties should come together tocondemn and protest throughout the country in a disciplined but organised manner.
And the Congress Party should fight the battle both legally and politically. One can no longer accept it.Enough is enough.
Chowdhry Nisar Ahmed,
Noorullah pet, Ambur (T.N.)
Why did Rahul Gandhi Tweak Twitter Bio?
Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi has updated the bio on his Twitter account following his disqualification as a Member of the Parliament. He has replaced “Member of Parliament” with “Dis’Qualified MP” in the bio section that appears right below the account name. His tweaking the Twitter bio is perhaps the necessity in the given situation.
Mr. Gandhi was disqualified after he was convicted by a Judicial Magistrate in Surat in a defamation case for remarks implying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a criminal. “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname,” he had allegedly remarked at a pre-election rally in Karnataka’s Kolar, a remark that the ruling BJP projected as a smear campaign against those sharing the Modi surname and the backward community.
The fact is that Mr. Gandhi is yet to move the higher court against his conviction. However, his disqualification is being seen as an effort to tarnish the image he had won during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Taufeeq Khan
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Communal Harmony
Communal harmony is the need of the hour. In an effort to send a message of communal amity across the world, the Vatican City issued a message greeting ‘Muslim brothers and sisters’ on the advent of the holy month of Ramadhan.
Signed by the Prefect, Miguel Ángel Cardinal AyusoGuixot, MCCJ, and the Secretary, Msgr. IndunilKodithuwakkuJanakaratneKankanamalage, says inter alia: “This corresponds to the divine will for our communities, and indeed for all the members and communities of the one human family.”
It adds: “We are aware, dear friends, that peaceful and friendly coexistence faces many challenges and threats: extremism, radicalism, polemics, disputes, and religiously motivated violence. The threats are fueled by a culture of hate. We need, then, to find the most appropriate ways of countering and overcoming such a culture, enhancing instead, enhancing love and friendship, in particular between Muslims and Christians, due to the bonds that unite us.”
As suggested in the message, the communities must come together to further the cause of communal amity.
Arun Gupta
Panjim, Goa
Putin’s‘Dangerous and Irresponsible’ Nuclear Rhetoric
The Russian president Vladimir Putin on March 25 reportedly said he planned to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. He likened the move to the U.S. stationing its weapons in Europe.Although not unexpected, the plan is one of Russia’s clearest nuclear signals since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine about a year ago.
However, NATO has criticised Vladimir Putin for what it called his “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric.NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu reportedly said, “Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is totally misleading. NATO allies act with full respect of their international commitments.”
Putin’s remark has the potentiality of leading to another war. While, in the backdrop of the largescale loss of innocent human lives and destruction of properties in wars, it is in the fitness of things that good sense prevails on the Russian president so much so that he talks of peace instead of war.
Rehana Khatoon
Kolkata, West Bengal