Democracy in peril

Recent developments and moves by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to effect a vertical split in the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal are a cause for concern. The strategies of the BJP in Maharashtra and West Bengal are similar. The doctrine is “divide and rule”. Strong regional parties have fallen victim to divisive tactics, with local disgruntled leaders being lured, threatened or influenced to rise up against their leadership and move to support BJP governments, through inducements and threats. A pliable Election Commission seems to play a scripted role in recognising parties, allotting symbols and using its enormous powers to enforce poll conduct, more often selectively, in favour of the BJP. Now, these predatory moves are likely to follow against the JD(U) in Bihar, the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Congress in Karnataka. These developments sound the death knell for democracy.

S.V. Venkatakrishnan,

San Jose, California, U.S.

New Secretariat plan

M.K. Stalin, the leader of the DMK, has proposed an agitation against the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to build a new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam, Chennai, as it could affect fishermen. Earlier, when Ms. Jayalalithaa wanted to shift the Secretariat to Queen Mary’s College, lawyers approached the High Court and obtained a stay, which prevented the demolition of a college for women. Before taking any decision on shifting the Secretariat, there should be a debate, given its far-reaching implications. It is also worth considering how wise it would be to locate the Secretariat along the coastline at a time of climate change.

N.G.R. Prasad,

Chennai

In an era where governance is rapidly embracing paperless, digital administration and modern workplaces are cutting operational costs through remote coordination, the Tamil Nadu government’s plan to construct a new Secretariat complex warrants urgent reconsideration.

With public finances already strained, sinking hundreds of crores into physical infrastructure”especially after the costly, abandoned venture of the Omandurar complex a decade ago”is an unwarranted extravagance. Rather than repeating past fiscal misadventures, the administration must optimise the heritage Fort St. George campus through technology and e-office initiatives. Prudence lies in modernising processes, not erecting expensive brick-and-mortar monuments.

Gopalaswamy J.,

Chennai