L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Captain returns to pavilion

As the majority in Punjab, particularly the farmers in the Malwa region, wanted it, the Congress high command has made Capt. Amarinder Singh head of the election campaigning committee of the state. It is hoped the Captain will focus on ways to improve the electoral prospects of the Congress and also promote the interests of the party workers who have suffered immensely in the past due to the lack of support from the state and Central units of the Congress.

There are going to be numerous challenges for him. It is time to examine what can be done for making a club class victory in the coming parliamentary elections. But will his loyalists, who betrayed him when he needed them, form a strong group once again to be in his team? At least  Captain Amarinder Singh as an individual has always been appreciated for his stand on different issues in the interest of the state.

Harpreet Sandhu, Former Additional Advocate-General of Punjab, Ludhiana

Unfair media

The Governer of Jammu and Kashmir has stated that there was no blockade of the national   highway by people of Jammu. There were disruptions due to agitation. The whole drama of economic blocade was performed by Hurriyat and PDP leaders to blackmail the Government of India and to suppress the agitation of the Jammu people.

A good number of biased electronic media people supported them by daily broadcasting their false statements. The leading channels of the electronic media were often quick to highlight that marriages of Kashmiris had not been properly performed due to the unavailability of mutton but not a single channel highlighted the misery of those families of Jammu whose dear ones were killed in police firing.

It was a shame on the part of a section of the electronic media which has highlighted the hunger strike by Mr Yasin Malik  many times daily, but has not bothered about mentioning even once the hunger strike by Mr Bhim Singh of the Panthers Party. A biased media has played a dangerous role in promoting communal tension in the state.

Shashi Kaul, Patiala

Musharraf must go

We agree with you that President Musharraf of Pakistan should leave his office gracefully and should not try to use extra-constitutional means to subvert democracy in that country (The Tribune, August 9).

This is in the interest of both Mr Musharraf and Pakistan. During my visit to Pakistan, the people in that country praised the vitality and effectiveness of Indian democracy They said unhesitatingly, “ Whoever is defeated in the elections in India, leaves the stage gracefully.” And they regretted that this was not so in Pakistan.

Amar Jit Singh Goraya,  Griffith NSW (Australia)

No one above the law This refers to the report "Judge abandons hearing after sparks fly in court" (August 8). Transparency Internationale's counsel and eminent jurist Shanti Bhushan stood his ground braving Justice B.N. Aggarwal's strong protest and severe reprimand. Mr Shanti Bhushan maintained that many retired judges of the Allhabad High Court were accused of being involved in UP’s PF scam and the matter needed to be investigated. It is a serious matter that cannot be ignored. It is now before the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India who, it is fervently hoped, will take a decision that will be in the best interest of the nation. The Supreme Court has always maintained that no one, howsoever big, is above the law. R. J. Khurana, Bhopal

“Clean” mission

This is with reference to the news item, “Officer trainees on ‘clean’ mission” (The Tribune, August 5). It is heartening that the senior members of the civil services in India undergoing training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, have taken upon themselves the task of cleaning the surroundings and “restoring the lost glory” of their city.

Personal example, the spirit of service and humility shown by these probationers are worthy of appreciation and emulation. For sure, the small beginnings made towards “restoring the lost glory” of the towns of the country will gather momentum, thus leading to tremendous will and effort on the part of our top administrators to “restore the lost glory” of the motherland. Good luck to them all!   

Wg-Cdr S.C. KAPOOR (retd), Noida

Pen-names

An Urdu poet is known more by his pen-name (Takhallus) than his real name. My name appeared in The Tribune twice in connection with the Shiromani Sahitkar Awards --- first on Juy 24 and then on August 9. However, on both occasions my pen-name was missing.

Prem Kumar Nazar, Hoshiarpur

Population problem

Natural happiness has altogether different and readable expressions as were reflected on the face of Congress President Sonia Gandhi while giving a standing welcome to the Indian contingent marching during the inaugural ceremony of Beijing Olympics-2008.

China made a welcome symbolic reference of adopting the norm of one child per family by presenting a sweet little girl-child to recite a beautiful poem at the inaugural ceremony of the Beijing Olympics being telecast live for billions of TV viewers.

India, ranking second to China in terms of population, should learn lessons from China to restrict the family-size by law to regulate its uncontrollable and, perhaps, the biggest problem of population explosion.

MADHU AGRAWAL, Delhi