Modi must speak for himself
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent most of his tenure on international shores and is known to indulge in rhetoric abroad (‘Modi: How do you rate his first year in office?’, Gulf News, May 23). He has failed to address the real issues that India currently faces. During his international trips, he spoke about how Indians feel insulted being born in India and said it was the reason for Indians migrating to other countries. If he really cares about Indians who left India, he should start dual citizenships rather than the ridiculous Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) system and see how many Indians would feel honoured to retain their citizenship. For example, India prides itself on saying that the astronaut Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman in space. However, Chawla was a naturalised US citizen and therefore lost her Indian citizenship, upon obtaining foreign nationality! Not one single day do we regret calling ourselves Indian. We are proud of our heritage. Modi should speak for himself rather than voice what the international Indian community supposedly feels. He should focus on issues such as the disturbing trend of an increase in intolerance towards minority religions in India. Furthermore, he should abolish the caste system by abolishing the quota system when seeking government jobs and enrolling in educational institutions.
From Mr Deshmukh Patel
UAE
Website comment
Trust the vision
Modi and his team are working towards a progressive India; there is no doubt about that. They are facing challenges when executing plans because of the opposition party’s usual bad behaviour. I have full confidence in Modi’s vision.
From Mr G. G.
UAE
Website comment
Too soon to judge
This article has aptly analysed the first year of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and, especially, Modi’s rule. No doubt, he has been able to keep his head high, not only at the national level, but even internationally. His tour to foreign countries has garnered positive results. As stated by the writer, from now on, India’s prime minister should concentrate on internal problems and take steps to fulfil his election promises to the poor and middle class families, who were the root cause for his thumping victory last year. If he has to overcome the united opposition, he has to definitely deliver in all fields, especially for the downtrodden! Since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government could not succeed in serving the poor during their tenures, it would be wise for us to wait for another year and then grade his performance.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
A year of action
I would give Modi a grade of nine out of 10 for his ability to lead the nation and his restless attitude towards inaction — this is really appreciated.
From Mr Ratheesh Parameswaran
UAE
Website comment
What has Modi done?
There have only been dialogues, but nothing has happened. It’s all just wasted time. Modi is enjoying his time with the taxpayers’ money and he is fooling people.
From Mr Johny
UAE
Website comment
Miles to go
The Indian prime minister still has a long way to go, but at least he shows a lot of commitment and has started many initiatives for the betterment of the country. I appreciate his confidence and self esteem to bring to the fore an India that is less corrupt. The previous government didn’t have such undertakings.
From Mr Vivek Raj
Dubai
Facebook comment
Achievements not impressive
Modi came into power, promising big economic miracles, but he has fallen far behind when it comes to fulfilling promises. How many economic plans that cost so much money and were pledged in the electoral campaign, have been delivered? Whether Modi was aware of the undercurrent ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allied parties, and of their transforming a secular Indian democracy to a Hindu theocracy, is a mystery. But, the beef ban made national and international headlines, which has caused major confusion about India in the international community. Besides, the attacks on churches and Christians have caused great bewilderment in India and abroad. Modi has taken 18 foreign trips in one year, far exceeding the record of the former prime minister, but the quantity of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India has not been very impressive, so far.
From Mr A. S. Mathew
UAE
Website comment
Much to mourn
I feel so sad for the ones who lost their lives in this blast and those who were injured (‘Saudi mosque blast death toll at 22’, Gulf News, May 23). It makes me sad to see a place of worship targeted with the intention of killing innocent Muslims performing their prayers. May God rest their souls in peace and I convey my sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims.
From Mr Amer A.
UAE
Full name withheld on request
Who can be so brutal?
We must condemn this kind of act! It is absolutely wrong. These people in the mosque met for a peaceful purpose as they gathered for prayer. Clearly, the attack was not defensive. I don’t understand how the culprit could be involved in the killing of scores of innocent people. What would he gain from this brutality?
From Mr Saharul Choudhury
UAE
Facebook comment
Not a religious act
Those who undertake such an act surely have no right to call themselves religious persons or even human beings at that!
From Mr Neil Courtman
UAE
Facebook comment
A well deserved win!
It seems that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has lost his Midas touch, that too after the departure of Brendon McCullum (‘Mumbai rule IPL again’, Gulf News, May 25). With regards to the finals, he himself was tossed out of the match when he chose to bowl after winning the toss. Another main reason for their loss was his adamant attitude of persisting with Ravindra Jadeja, who has been a total failure, right from India’s tour in Australia. At the same time, kudos to Mumbai Indians, who, after a series of defeats and teetering at the brink of elimination, turned the tables and fired all cylinders. This was done after the inclusion of Lendl Simmons. The injuries faced by Aaron Finch and James Anderson were blessings in disguise for the team, who richly deserved to win the Indian Premiere League (IPL) trophy again.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Farewell to another year
Bravo to the Mumbai Indians! They have kissed the majestic IPL 8 trophy at Kolkata’s prestigious Eden Gardens. The determined Mumbai Indians mercilessly dispatched sixes and fours to score an easy 202 runs. CSK desperately tried to overcome it, but their efforts were in vain. They could only score 161. This is the second time in three years that Mumbai Indians are dancing with the trophy. Ashish Nehra of CSK displayed some sparkling pyrotechnics, but it was not effective to mesmerise the Mumbai Indians’ determined warriors. Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons were in an aggressive mood, ready to destruct anything coming towards them. Kieron Pollard and Ambadi Raydu added another 71 runs off 6.4 overs for their fourth wicket partnership. To end the biggest cricket festival in the world, there were fireworks display in a clear sky that reflected the enthusiasm of all the ardent lovers of cricket.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Proved everyone wrong
Mumbai Indians deserved to win because of the way they came together as one unit. Hats off to them. In the beginning, during the qualifying stages, the Mumbai Indians were written off and were losing matches continuously. Nobody would have imagined that they would qualify for the top four, but they proved everybody wrong by not only qualifying but also reaching the second position. In the first qualifier, they beat CSK to enter the finals directly. Again, their victory was considered that a fluke and everyone thought Chennai would be back in the finals to take revenge and lift the cup. But the way the Mumbai Indians played in the finals, it seemed they were determined to win the tournament from the very first ball of the final game. They were very well supported by the entire support staff and everybody worked hard to build the unit to such a strong level. Well done Mumbai, I’m really proud of the team for lifting the IPL trophy.
From Mr Ajeet Kumar S. Pillai
UAE
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