Make your votes count
In democracy, the citizens are kings and our elected representatives are there to serve us and the society we live in. Even when we know this is an illusion, there is some happiness in believing it. The citizens, no doubt, are kings and hence are important. But that’s only on the day of voting. All the other days we live being servile to the politicians is the hard truth we are all used to. But then we cannot blame our rulers alone for this. They have been capitalizing on the weakness of voters since long. Our constitution has entrusted us with the right to choose an able candidate as our representative. But we have ‘sold’ that power for small prices. As a result, we are happy being single day kings.
We sell our votes for caste, community, faith, alcohol, sarees, small gifts or even money and spend rest of the days cursing the elected representatives. That cursing is like spitting at the sky. It lands right back on our face. Once we lose the opportunity to vote, we need five years to get it again. More than anything else, we need to take a vow that our votes won’t go a waste. Because once we give it away like a gift to someone, we lose all rights over it. And gifting our votes to someone is the biggest act of treachery we can commit. Likewise we shouldn’t sell our votes either. Once we give it away for sarees, money, alcohol and other small items that can never compensate for the power of vote, we cannot expect the elected candidate to work for us because we would have then handed over the power to him. It becomes corruption. And corruption never begets integrity or power. It makes us weak. Just the way as money, alcohol distribution is wrong; seeking votes in the name of religion is equally terrible. These politicians who do not do much, are now back to seek votes in the name of everything else apart from the works they did. Violence and development can never go hand in hand.
Constitution has given us the rights to choose our representatives. The ones who are speaking against the constitution need the old system to exist where some people had default access to society’s privileges, and one could never choose their representatives. When we go to vote today, we need to remember this. There are elements that want to push us to the medieval way of living such as the feudal system. These people want to push us into the system where we are rendered voiceless. We need to give our votes as a loan, not as a payment of gratitude to the candidate. When he/she knows they have this vote as a loan on them, they will be forced to repay it. And even those who give it as a loan, will have the rights seek repayment of the same. In case of no candidate being the appropriate one, we always have choice of NOTA where we can reject all candidates. But then, sometimes even this does not seem like a feasible solution since NOTA would still mean the candidate with highest votes is declared the winner either way. Why should we waste the vote? Let’s then make a choice of better ones among the lot.
Voting is the foundation of democracy. This would contribute to how strong the structure would be. Every stone to the foundation counts. Even one bad stone can contribute to the weakness of the structure at some point in time. Hence, let’s support those candidates who work to strengthen the identity of Kannada, Karnataka and its people. We need to provide strength to those ones who work for the empowerment of the poor, and hold up the integrity of the state. We owe this to our state and its people.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
