Chief Minister’s speech

It is clear from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s maiden speech, laced with ‘punch dialogues’, in the Tamil Nadu Assembly that he has not yet fully outgrown his passion for acting. His dramatic ‘hand movement’ may have delighted his fans, but they were out of place on the floor of the august House. A substantial portion of his speech was devoted to self-praise and DMK-bashing. Mr. Vijay cannot shirk responsibility by claiming that he has inherited long-standing problems and that addressing them will take time.

His foremost priorities should be preventing crimes against women and curbing the drug menace in the State. His reference to the electoral defeat of DMK president M.K. Stalin through a “short story” was also unnecessary. That said, Mr. Vijay deserves credit for giving greater representation to Dalits and women in his Ministry, and for reaffirming his commitment to secularism, social justice and ending illegal mining.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

The Chief Minister’s gestures and dramatic flourishes, accompanied by gleeful clapping and hooting from the Treasury benches to score political points over the Opposition, resembled a scene from a masala potboiler rather than a legislative debate.

Such conduct is an affront to the intelligence of the electorate. Our lawmakers would do well to restore decorum to the House; only then can governance receive the attention it deserves.

S. Sanjeevi Rao,

Puducherry

Hand in the till

It is distressing that the Ram temple is in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, especially since the government has sought to derive political dividends from its consecration. Reports of alleged embezzlement and pilferage of donations are deeply upsetting for devotees. The perpetrators must be brought to book at the earliest to restore public trust.

Aanya Singhal,

Noida, Uttar Pradesh