Letters: Readers discuss Narendra Modi's win, driving during Ramadan, and saving the planet

However, his approach to some sections needs to be more gentle and polite so that people approve of him. The party needs to conduct business, and development in the country, without hurting anyone’s sentiments.

He has to take his subordinates into full confidence and enhance their cooperation. He is not just a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but is also India’s Prime Minister. I wish Modi and his team a well-rehearsed term ahead.

From Mr M. K. Gunaseelan
Abu Dhabi
 

More division

Narenda Modi is the Prime Minister again, and he will continue what he was doing for last five years. There will be zero performance, blatant lies and he will continue to be a divider in chief.

From Mr Syed Naveed Anjum
UAE
 

A learning lesson for Congress

Political parties in India were used to treating citizens as voters belonging to a particular caste or community. But voters have rejected caste and appeasement-driven politics in 2019. This explains why parties like the Samajwadi Party, have failed to win people’s mandate. But, 2019 results hold out the biggest lessons for the Congress. The oldest party in India decided to play the appeasement card to win Muslim votes. That explains why Congress president Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad in Kerala, a constituency with a substantial Muslim population. The mandate for Narendra Modi-led BJP and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reflects that such stereotypes won’t work anymore. The message is loud and clear... Those who want to come to power need to listen to them and cater to them. The poll results clearly tell us that such politics won’t work anymore as result Congress, failed to make inroads against Modi.

From Mr Someshwar
UAE
Facebook comment
 

Modi 2.0

US-based Time magazine called Narendra Modi a Divider-in-Chief. The people of India have responded by re-electing Modi as Prime Minister. All those opposition parties who conducted a negative campaign against Modi have been taught a lesson by the people of the country. Particularly ‘Chowkidhar Chor Hai’ (The watchman is a thief) campaign carried out by Congress president Rahul Gandhi has back fired and boomeranged. The Congress and other opposition parties never learnt a lesson from the 2014 defeat and they have paid a huge price in 2019. On the other hand Modi converted all the negatives into positives and reaped the benefits.

From Mr G. Srinivasan
Chennai
 

Shameful words

I can’t forgive Indian politician Pragya Singh Thakur for insulting Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (“BJP politician Pragya Singh Thakur calls Gandhi’s assassin ‘a patriot’”, Gulf News, May 17). The recent comments made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member on political activist Nathuram Godse being a patriot of India, is condemned. Godse assassinated Gandhi in 1948. Thakur created sensational news. Political leaders should be very careful when they speak out on a public platform.

From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
 

Take steps to help the planet

I believe that every measure we take to protect our society, our beautiful planet from the destruction and torture it faces today, is one measure that can help protect our future (“Reader’s views: Our planet is dying”, Gulf News, May 21). Simple actions can turn into beneficial routine habits. With your contribution, it can create a positive benefit to our community. Our choices affect our world one way or another, and this is a damaging thought.

I encourage you, as a reader, to always think before you use another plastic bag, to swap your everyday habits to more eco-friendly ones. Whether it involves using public transport instead of driving to creating a greener, pollution free space, and these little steps are the foundation to a safer, cleaner and beautiful future. Together, our sustainable actions bring together an encouraging social harmony, which cannot be broken. Together, let’s create a safe future for the future generations!

From Ms Malavika Padmanabhan
UAE
 

Coming to an end

At first, I was disappointed to learn that the Weekend Review supplement of Gulf News was closing shop. Come to think of it, you could easily incorporate all the content of the Weekend Review, into the Friday magazine. This would benefit those who like to read the articles of the section and look at the wonderful photos. Of late, the Friday magazine has been more about food!

From Ms Anuradha Lal
UAE
 

Cricket preparation

We are glad that our Indian cricket coach, Ravi Shastri, feels that the team has a flexible side with enough ammunition in its arsenal going into the World Cup (“Ravi Shastri has done wonders by making Virat Kohli the boss, says Anshuman Gaekwad”, Gulf News, May 21). I hope he and the captain are on the same page this time and follow the right strategies to shine. India needs to bring back the cup.

From Mr N. V. Krishnan
Chennai
 

No time for handwritten letters

The pre-email era was a time when we relied mostly on letters and phone calls. It was a time when I would eagerly wait for letters from friends and family. These letters carried a lot of comfort and warmth with them. They really helped me get over the homesickness I felt when I had initially moved to Dubai.

This was during the early 1990’s. A letter from my mother made my day. Letters were either posted from Dubai or sent through. These letters brought love and connectivity between people.

The joy of holding a letter in one’s hand from a loved one was equivalent to holding an interesting book in the hand. On the business front - the main source of communication apart from telephone calls, which were expensive at that time, were letters. Large offices had a staff dedicated to operating fax machines. This involved the use of a lot of paper and files to store this paper, which took a lot of office space.

Now, with the invention of emails, things have become faster and easier. With the click of a button emails get sent to people miles away and you get replies immediately. Other faster means of communication involve the different messaging applications that have made talking to people easier. However, I still do miss holding a letter or a card. People hardly send these anymore. The nostalgia I feel when I think about handwritten letters is hard to explain.

From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
 

Ramadan and driving

I am really unhappy with the way road rage has been linked to people who fast during the month of Ramadan (“‘I am a road bully and here is why I honk at you’: Confessions of UAE road bullies”, Gulf News, May 17). I am upset to see such bold statements in the article that discusses what Ramadan is supposed to teach people, and how this is not being applied on the streets.

I totally agree that people do tend to drive reckless or are in a hurry around iftar time. But how can we compare this to the behaviour of drivers during peak traffic hours in general?

I see no difference at all. In fact, I find people on the roads calmer than on regular days.

From Mr Mohammad Nabeel Sarwar
UAE
 

Bad parking practices

Anyone who has taken a driving test in the UAE and has got their license, knows about the rules to follow when one is trying to get into an angled slot (“RTA Smart Parking: Finding a parking spot becomes easier”, Gulf News, May 9). I noticed a driver who had completely done away with the rules needed to park. He parked the vehicle by going in reverse. This clearly indicates that even while taking out the vehicle, he will be a possible threat to other vehicles and people passing by.

I would like to request the concerned departments to take action against such vehicles that park incorrectly.

From Mr H. C.
Abu Dhabi
 

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