Fix the problem

Sir — With the Punjab assembly elections around the corner — they are slated to be held in 2022 — a war of words has broken out between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party about giving free electricity units to the people of the state. The AAP leader and chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, in a bid to come to power in Punjab, has promised 300 free units of electricity to all households in Punjab if his party wins. Why is he making false promises to the people of Punjab when he cannot even manage Delhi properly? He has even promised a waiver on previous power bills. His claims are not to be trusted.

It must be remembered that Punjab is reeling under a debt of nearly Rs 3 lakh crore. Any party that talks about giving free electricity units is opportunistic and power hungry. If it wins, it will most certainly betray the people’s trust by not following up on its promises. Such claims by political parties and their leaders amount to nothing. They are merely made to influence voters.

Worryingly, the Congress is going through a crisis in Punjab, and this may affect the morale of the party’s units in other states. The Bharatiya Janata Party is always waiting for the opportunity to resort to unscrupulous means to bring down state governments. This was witnessed in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka where members of legislative assemblies from the Congress were seen joining the BJP. Well-known Congress leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada also switched sides. India’s Grand Old Party is going through rough weather owing to infighting. Punjab is an important state for the party. The farmers’ agitation against the three controversial farm laws passed by the Centre has had an impact on the state. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which is in the Opposition in the assembly, will take advantage of this situation. Moreover, the open fight between the chief minister, Amarinder Singh, and Navjot Singh Sidhu does not bode well for the state government. It is high time the Congress high command took the matter seriously. If it does not do so, it may lose yet another state to the saffron camp and its communal forces.

Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai

Sir — The situation in the Punjab Congress is getting worse. There seems to be no immediate solution to the rift between Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is keen to replace the former as chief minister. Ironically, the Gandhi family appears to be giving more importance to Sidhu than to Amarinder Singh, even though the latter has proven to be a successful chief minister who reflects well on the party. If the feud is not resolved soon, the outcome will not be palatable for the Congress. The Aam Aadmi Party may crush the dreams of both the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal.

N. Viswanathan,
Coimbatore

Not fair

Sir — It was interesting to read that the Board of Control for Cricket in India will recommend both the ace Indian cricketers, Mithali Raj and Ravichandran Ashwin, for the prestigious Khel Ratna award. However, in its own annual contracts with players, the BCCI ensures that women cricketers are paid a mere fraction of what the men are paid. In the contracts announced in May, the highest grade for women cricketers has a retainer of Rs 50 lakh while the lowest grade for male players is worth Rs 1 crore. Mere gestures of equality, such as recommending Raj and Ashwin for the same sports award, do nothing to hide the inherent discrimination in the BCCI.

Romit Sen,
Calcutta

PARTING SHOT

Sir — It was heartening to read that for the first time since the pandemic started, the daily positivity rate for Covid tests in Chennai has fallen to below 1 per cent. Reportedly, no street in the city has more than 10 cases, and 71 lakh vaccine doses are to be received by the state government. The Union health minister had lauded the efforts of the Tamil Nadu administration to contain the virus. However, this does not mean that the common man should be free to roam, that too without following Covid norms, as there is the fear of a third wave.

N. Mahadevan,
Chennai