Letters to the Editor: EC versus people

EC versus people

The preamble of the constitution declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. And the first paragraph of the preamble starts with the sentence "We, the people...”. It signifies that people are supreme. There is no constitutional post, and even the governments are not bigger than the people of the country. The people make and break governments in a democracy. The people have the right to stage peaceful protests and question the policies pursued by the government, and so on and so forth. The constitutional posts are in place to protect the interests of the people and to address various issues for the benefit of the people as a whole. As things stand today, it seems that they are there to undermine the interests of the people and harass them on flimsy ground.

Keeping the above in view, we wish to raise the issue pertaining to EVM, which is used to elect our lawmakers. However, of late, people in the country started questioning the trustworthiness of the EVMs. The doubt that EVMs can be manipulated is increasingly on the rise among people in the country from various evidences that are in the public domain. Therefore, it was prudent on the part of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to dispel the doubts that cropped up in the minds of the people. The lawyers of the Supreme Court, a huge number of big personalities from various disciplines, and leaders of opposition political parties were seeking his (CEC) audience to discuss the matter. A lot of protests and demonstrations were also organised by the lawyers and the public at large across the country and in Delhi as well to get clarification from the CEC on EVM. Despite this fact, all fell into the deaf ears of the CEC. Our point is, if the system or process is as transparent as claimed to be, why doesn't CEC come clean by demonstrating the working of EVMs as desired by people? Is it arrogance? Or something is amiss!

Even the US, Germany, Japan, and many other developed countries have discarded the use of EVM. We know for sure that they value time more than we do. If time was the factor for CEC, then CEC would not have extended the election process (2024) to seven phases, which cover more than one and a half months. This is a clear case that undermines the supremacy of the people! Finally, God is the only hope for us!

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

Islamic month of Ramadan

Ramadan is observed in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.  This month is dedicated to reflection, peace, spirituality, and community. People start observing the fast at dawn and break it after sunset. The pre-dawn meal is known as suhur, and the post-sunset meal is known as iftar. Traditionally, the fast is broken by having water and dates.

Muslims believe that in A.D. 610, the angel Gabriel appeared to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and revealed to him the Qur'an. That revelation, Laylat Al Qadar, or the 'Night of Power, is believed to have occurred during Ramadan. Muslims fast during that month as a way to commemorate the revelation of the Holy Qur'an. Fasting is purely out of love for God and to thank Him for what He has blessed us with in our daily lives.

There are many reasons to fast, including the Muslim tradition. Other reasons include self-control. If a person is able to abstain from food and water for that amount of time, he or she learns to control his or her desires and temptations and thus has greater self-control.

Jubel D'Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)