Parliament Logjam; Rivers Unpristine; Questioning Mandela
Opinion Watch
Parliament Logjam
The Asian Age has in its Editorial called for resumption of normal businesses in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. Arguing that the nation is indeed enraged over the viral video of Manipur of two Kuki-Zomi tribe women paraded naked and sexually assaulted by a mob, the New Delhi-based daily called for a disciplined and orderly functions in Parliament.
Arun Jaitely legitimized disruption as the legitimate means of democracy as for two years in the run up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections Parliament was paralyzed. There is no country in the world where the executive (the prime minister) is not questioned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi owes an explanation to the people of the country through Parliament — what was the state doing for over two months after the Manipur horror incident.
Rivers Unpristine
The Tribune in its Editorial has quoted the report of the Central Pollution Control Board to state that around 46 per cent (279 out of 603) of the rivers monitored across the country are polluted. The Chandigarh-based daily wondered on efficacies of various Central and state projects worth crores of rupees undertaken to tackle riverine pollution in the past few years. It added that besides untreated domestic and industrial effluents, other contaminants such as plastic and pharmaceutical waste too are flowing into rivers.
Rivers are dying under the weight of the dead cities. To retrieve the situation, a zero river discharge policy must be constitutionally backed to enable the local bodies to reimagine the dwelling habitats.
Questioning Mandela
The Telegraph in its Editorial has rued the disturbing trends among the youngsters in South Africa who are questioning the contributions of Nelson Mandela. The Kolkata-based daily has opined that the trend is similar to the people in India questioning Mahatma Gandhi. Supporting debate, the daily called for the people to weigh in all aspects while making their judgments.
The youngsters sadly exhibit the lynch mob mindset, befitting kangaroo courts, which also explain why the social media platforms swarm with trolls. This author once asked one person in Banka, Bihar to name his best politician. “Pandit ji (Jawahar Lal Nehru)…we walked 50 miles to listen to him,” he said. To say the least, Mandela, Gandhi and Nehru may survive for several hundred years, but those who claim to be higher mortals may not stay in memories for even months.
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