M A I L B A G

US designs for hegemony

The posturing by the USA and the UK is becoming ever menacing by the day with these countries looming as the greatest threat to world peace since the end of the Vietnam war. The US desperation for aggression against Iraq on the one hand and a sly sweet-coated sham in its U turn against North Korea clearly underscore that the Anglo-US clique only understands the language of force. Were the North Koreans to be militarily weak, they too would have had to suffer the humility and threat to their sovereignty as Iraq is facing. It is now clear that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction as claimed by the Americans and poses no threat to anyone, which is the main reason why the USA is so eager to march into and occupy this country for its oil reserves. The Bush rhetoric warning Iraq to disarm runs as a phonograph needle stuck in a groove making a mockery of the highest public office of American democracy. Mr Blix seems to be also finding words to echo the same. It’s like seeking a forced confession to dispense third degree in police stations. If international behaviour comes to this in spite of all the progress of the 21st century and emergence of human rights as a platform for tempering the conduct of nations and societies, then no nations is more culpable of their violation than the USA which keeps swearing by its interests in the name of world community.

Iraq has obviously failed to understand its once close ally. It should have armed itself with nuclear arsenal, as all small and weak nations should, if they are to survive the corporate capitalist gargantuan devouring the resources of earth to sustain the ostentatious lifestyle of their people.

Maj Gen APS CHAUHAN (retd), e-mail.

Jineh naaz hai Hind par... “Ek shehanshah ne banvaa ke haseen Taj Mahal, hum gareebon ki mohabbat ka udaya hai mazak.” Sahir Ludhianavi’s sentiment will outlive Shahjahan’s Taj. Shahjahan was a king-conquerer and had all the right to demand slaves’ labour and resources to satisfy his whim. That our elected leaders will make fun of our poverty stuns and horrifies us beyond measure! It shakes the very foundations of the democratic way of life. Tribune photo by Kulbir Beera Jayalalithaa marrying her foster son — the marriage of the millennium, and Laloo and Rabri Yadav going one up in marrying their daughter. Vajpayee making a birthday gift of savajal and billing the state exchequer for the gift! Mayawati celebrating her birthday as a ten-crore extravaganza and the “Pink Girl” flying to Delhi at the state expense to participate in yet another birthday celebration where Vajpayee was present to bless her as a part of his strategy in his fight against corruption, a subject so dear to our PM while he was in the Opposition! Even Advani was there to see that our leaders do not inflict terror on their subject! The usurper PM Chander Shekhar was there shaking hands with the socialist host in 5-star comfort. The Tribune talks of the “protests of her political rivals.” The rivals are as fake as the rivaled. Justice Venkatachaliha having failed to consider, much less deal with constitutionalised corruption, constitutionalised inefficiency and constitutionalised communalism, we shall need another poet to immortalise these mega events and the fun these leaders have made of the poor. The poet may, perchance, also answer the PM’s musings and tell him that he needs another lesson on Bharateeyta and Hindutva. L.R. SHARMA, Jalandhar

Panchkula episode

A personal affair between a Punjab officer (Mr Mukul Joshi, IAS) and the wife of a colleague of his, as reported in the media a few days ago, has unnecessarily been given a political twist and blown out of context by the Opposition. While the reported conduct of the officer is reprehensible and needs to be condemned in strongest terms, dragging the Chief Minister into it is absolutely uncalled for and is nothing but a “politically motivated” move. To politicise such an affair only shows the bankruptcy of the Opposition which seems to have run out of ideas.

Brig HARWANT SINGH (retd), Mohali

Of injured innocence

Why is everybody — the government, Congress leaders, the Opposition etc — targeting only Mr Mukul Joshi, IAS, in the Panchkula episode? Even Mr Y.S. Ratra, Chief Secretary, pretended a sense of injured innocence and sought strict action against Mr Mukul Joshi. After all Mrs Ratra went with Mr Joshi of her own will and she was not a minor who could have been enticed away by Mr Joshi. Is not Mrs Joshi also an aggrieved party? Does Mrs Ratra not owe an apology to Mrs Mukul Joshi?

Dr SEEMA BHATNAGAR, Mohali

Internal matter

The recent outburst against the Punjab Government by the Opposition on the Ratra issue is ludicrous. There is no way the Captain can be held responsible for the deeds of his secretaries. It is indeed an internal matter of the Ratras and the Joshis and the Opposition has no moral or social right to intervention. The incident has been blown out of proportion by the media.

AKSHAY, e-mail

It’s non-news

More than the delay in the revelation of their identity when asked by the police, nothing was wrong on the part of Mr Joshi and his companion. However, all other concerned people, the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and all those who intervened to make a hue and cry are definitely wrong. The Press is indeed guilty of making news where there was none. It is further regretted that our Tribune was in all haste to claim the credit for being the first with the “news”.

ABHAI SINGH, Manimajra

Unfortunate

The blowing up of the Panchkula episode was rather unfortunate. The officers, whether in civil or in defence services, and their families regularly socialise informally leading to a cordial environment among them which is considered essential for the smooth functioning of government machinery.

Officers often develop a “devar-bhabhi” relationship with the wives of their senior colleagues. An officer approaching the wife of his boss to put in a good word in his favour is not that uncommon. No attempt, howsoever unintentional, should be made to render a blow to this sacred relationship.

Wg Cdr C.L. SEHGAL (Retd), Jalandhar

Nobody’s business

The “Panchkula episode” really does not deserve the prominence in a serious paper like The Tribune. In most advanced nations this kind of juicy story/tit-tat is limited only to the so called tabloid press. As long as the persons involved were consenting adults, it should not be the business of anybody else. Otherwise we will end up in creating a narrow-minded fundamentalist society.

PARAMJIT BAHIA, UK