Sri Lanka diary
The economy of Sri Lanka is in a shambles while the ‘first family’ is busy trying to escape. It is worrying that the government that may be formed in Sri Lanka could be under the leadership of those who had a part to play in the economic downfall of Sri Lanka. It is the wish of everyone that the battered nation does not slide backwards. It is suffering a lot as it is.
C. Mohan Chandrasekaran,
Chennai
Life has come full circle for the once all-powerful President who was dubbed ‘The Terminator’ for his ruthless crushing of the Tamil rebels. It is ironic that the Sinhalese who once lauded him have now disowned him. The formation of a consensus government at the earliest, followed by fruitful negotiations between representatives of the disgruntled protesters, based on mutual trust and respect is the bottom line to end this impasse.
Dr. Biju C. Mathew,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
The developments in Sri Lanka have been shaped by the people; this is what democracy stands for. This sure is an eye-opener for all other democratic countries including India. A government that does not uphold the oaths and promises it has made to the people can expect to face a bitter end.
S. Haritha Rao.
Wanaparthy, Telangana
The mass protests in Sri Lanka that eventually brought an elected regime to its knees demonstrates only one truth — that whipping up communal and religious passions and securing votes will work up to a certain point. Finally, it is good governance that pays. The Rajapaksa clan played the majoritarian card and got away with colossal war crimes and persecution of the minorities. Now, the very majority which brought them into power has shown them the door. Let us hope that the wounds inflicted by the civil war will heal and along with economic reconstruction, reconciliation happens.
Sharada Sivaram,
Ernakulam, Kerala
Unparliamentary words
The Opposition parties need to deeply understand the significance of winning the Lok Sabha election in 2024 and act accordingly. From that perspective, even if the Opposition accurately describes this government using expunged words (Inside pages, “Political uproar over ‘unparliamentary’ word list”, July 15), how many voters are going to change their minds about this government and vote for the Opposition? By raising a storm over the expunging of words, the Opposition has fallen into the trap of predictability and provided more ammunition to a section of the media, which continuously builds this narrative that the Opposition opposes every move made by the ruling party for the sake of opposing. This is, of course, an issue the common man cannot relate with much, alienating the Opposition even more.
A. Venkatasubramanian,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
One reason why the Opposition ends up looking silly is that it has not learnt to calibrate its responses to a different style of politics. It needs to be innovative in the way it responds given this government’s fondness for springing surprises. The Opposition must learn to play this game.
Preetha Salil,
Mumbai
Presidential candidate
One is afraid that the candidacy of Yashwant Sinha for President is fast becoming infructuous or a damp squib. It is obvious that Uddhav Thackeray has decided to support Droupadi Murmu only to avoid a further split. Needless to say, the candidacy of Ms. Murmu has taken the wind out of the sails of Mr. Sinha’s bid and the parties which are supposed to support him.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Malippara, Kothamangalam, Kerala
