All for the vote bank Advantage neutralised

In Archis Mohan’s report, “EC decision to not announce Gujarat poll date intriguing” (October 13), it is interesting to learn that polling dates for Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat were announced on the same day by the Election Commission in both 2007 and 2012. What prompted a departure this time?

The report reveals that a couple of hours before the EC announced the dates, the Gujarat government announced several decisions concerning the Patidar community, the Valmiki community, government employees and the builders’ lobby. This apart, cases lodged against the Patidar community during their agitation seeking reservations in education and jobs were withdrawn — presumably all of them, including the criminal ones.

The state government should come clean on the withdrawal of cases against the Patidar community. The timing of it is suspect and smacks of dirty vote bank politics. That some among the Patidars are upset with the Bharatiya Janata Party indicates that its leadership has been able to create a divide within the community. This, the BJP hopes, will reap a rich harvest for itself in the Gujarat Assembly polls.

Vinayak G Bengaluru level of states and its chief ministers have established a reputation for efficient governance, unlike the Congress.

The BJP is led by a leader with a wellarticulated vision, breadth of knowledge, mass-influencing conduct and matchless energy. No one in the Opposition compares with him on these parameters. Besides, the Congress lost three years by depending on Rahul Gandhi to revive its fortunes.

Another handicap with the Opposition is, as Bhattacharya points out, the lack of an appealing agenda. Harping on the BJP’s “communal” image did not pay in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent state Assembly polls.

Much will depend on how the ruling party and the Opposition perform in the last two years of the current regime. Voters are usually swayed by recent experiences. In that case, even a blundering Opposition can win, as it did in 2004, if the BJP does not keep its pledge of good administration and job creation.

Y G Chouksey Pune According to the latest report of the International Food Policy Research Institute, India ranks 100 among 119 developing countries on the hunger index. The report says one-fifth of Indian children under five years are underweight and one-third are stunted. To put the ranking in perspective, three years ago India was at 55.

Despite such poor standards of nutrition, India makes tall claims about being the world’s fastest growing economy and that it has the fourth highest number of billionaires. Politicians continue to fool the people with statistical jugglery and irrelevant indices.

In this context, I quote from my article written more than three decades ago — it is still relevant today. “After the creation of the universe, Lord Brahma told Lord Vishnu that there is a place called India, where I have given all the resources.” When Lord Vishnu asked if it was not unfair to give all resources to one country, Lord Brahma retorted, “But see the type of politicians I have sent there. They will set right everything.”

E M Adithyan Edapal