The result of the recent Delhi state assembly election was proof that in politics anything can happen at any given time.
The Congress party has played its card well to keep the BJP out of the contest to form a government in the capital. That way the BJP had to accept its failure directly at the hands of Congress. At the same time, I must say that the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) could never have expected that it would win the election.
However, it was extremely disappointing when AAP decided to accept the support of Congress – another game of politics – thereby helping it to succeed once again. It further shows that the BJP effect is yet to reach the capital.
We remember that AAP’s campaign against corruption was mostly against the Congress-led governments in Delhi and at the centre.
By accepting Congress’ support, AAP has degraded itself. The new party, one hoped, would support the cause of the common people who struggle hard to survive in this complex environment.
That’s why it is too early to predict the future of AAP. Even though a non-Congress government in India is highly likely after the general election, the role AAP will play in it is uncertain.
The most critical aspect here is that decades of frustration of common people have helped the AAP to enter into politics in India, as neither Congress nor any other political party has done anything to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
Ramachandran Nair, Oman
Many ailments are result of bad lifestyle
The news report Heart attacks strike 20 years earlier in the UAE (January 13) is alarming.
Given the amount of junk food we consume every day, not to talk about the levels of stress that are increasing for most of us, it’s only natural that diseases such as obesity, diabetes, arthritis and heart-related illnesses are becoming common.
A large number of teenagers these days face chronic illnesses that result from a lack of activity as well as improper diet.
If we do not take necessary measures in time, a large number of people might face life-threatening situations.
Fatima Suhail, Abu Dhabi
While visiting a patient at a major heart hospital in Dubai recently, I was shocked to see people as young as 21 or less in a major heart hospital in Dubai.
Aziza Al Busaidy, Dubai
Map will benefit Abu Dhabi tenants
I am commenting on the interactive map on home rents in different parts of Abu Dhabi, posted on The National’s Facebook page.
I appreciate the effort. This is going to be of great help for existing tenants, as well as those who are planning to live in the capital.
Name withheld by request
All adventures carry some risk
I refer to the article Missing diver’s 6kg vest may have hindered his ability to resurface, say Dubai Police (January 5). All adventure activities involve some risk, even with expert training and proper equipment such as buoyancy control devices, gauges and oxygen cylinders.
The risk is such that it could cause death. I would guess Adel Ait-Ghezala would have understood this being a free diver. That’s why a weighted belt (old-school diving) that can be released quicker in an emergency, even with one hand, will always be better than a weighted vest which requires the use of both hands to remove. But in the end, it was his call.
My condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.
Conrad S, Canada
Sharon was never tired of atrocities
Ariel Sharon went to his grave having successfully avoided criminal prosecution for the human-rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law that he perpetrated as a minister of the Israeli government (Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon dead at 85, January 11).
In September 1982, Sharon instructed the Lebanese militias under his command and control to enter the Shatila and Sabra refugee camps knowing the atrocities that would be perpetrated there as a result. Five months later, the official Israeli government inquiry into the massacre, the Kahan Commission, found Sharon personally responsible for the atrocity and ordered him dismissed as defence minister. But Sharon was never tried for the massacres that constituted war crimes under the international Geneva Conventions.
Last week, Israel hailed Sharon as a flawed hero.
Anthony Bellchambers, UK
