M A I L B A G

A mandate for Nehruvian growth model

THE defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections clearly suggests that the country’s electorate wish to go back to the Nehruvian model for the socio-economic upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden as also the middle class. The results also indicate that the electorate has little to do with the agents of religion and caste equations that have so far been factored in by the ruling coalition to its advantage.

The big gains of the Congress in Gujarat, the humiliation suffered by the BJP shouting brigade with the likes of Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley and S.S. Ahluwalia in the forefront, the virulent attacks mounted on Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the issue of her foreign origin, and the fallacy that the outgoing Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, alone was a name big enough to win an election, all show that it is really the Indian electorate that is shining, and not any particular party.

MAJ-GEN HIMMAT SINGH GILL(retd), Chandigarh

Spurt in accidents THIS refers to the news item, “7 of family killed and 6 school children killed as bus rammed into the train” (April 28). Very recently, four students were killed when a train hit the school bus in which they were travelling at an unmanned level crossing gate in Ludhiana. Innocent people are killed daily in road accidents due to the sheer carelessness of the drivers. Nothing has been done to amend suitably Section 304 A IPC to award deterrent punishment to these merchants of death during the last half a century. This section needs to be suitably amended, providing a minimum of seven years of punishment and to be tried by sessions court, making it non-bailable as well. In addition, in the absence of highway patrol, there is jungle raj on the roads. All traffic rules are flouted by almost everyone. There should be provision for heavy fines for such offenders and non-roadworthy vehicles should be impounded. If this is done, many innocent lives can be saved. Maj NARINDER SINGH JALLO (retd), Mohali

Double standards

Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s statement (May 4) made rueful reading. He came into the national limelight after Rajiv Gandhi gave him an opportunity to work as the Union Finance Minister. No doubt, he made a good beginning by presenting an avant garde budget which was praised even by the late N.A. Palkhivala. Subsequently, having seen the skeletons of corruption in the cupboard of Rajiv Gandhi government, he staged a political coup d’etat by defeating the Congress with the help of a motley group of political parties.

After becoming Prime Minister, he said in an interview that he would be a disaster as Prime Minister and set about proving it. Before the collapse of his government, he uncorked the genie of casteism by the inexorable Mandalisation of Indian politics. In a series of interviews of former Prime Ministers, published sometime ago in The Tribune. Mr Singh accepted that the politics of casteism has proved to be more damaging to the Indian polity than the politics of communalism. Now he is exhorting the virtues of the Congress without rejoining the party.

R.C. KHANNA, Amritsar

Apolitical governors

The editorial “Unbecoming to govern” (May 1) rightly points out that the Haryana Governor should not make comments favouring any political party. Since the Governors are chosen by the government on the basis of their political loyalty, helping the ruling party in public or otherwise is no more a secret. The editorial should have specifically stressed the need for selection of those with no political background for the coveted post.

VIDYA PRAKASH SHARMA, Bilaspur (HP)

New PU course

The news-item “Punjabi varsity to start new vocational courses” (May 5) gives somewhat a distorted information about the PG Diploma in Sociology of Mass Communication and Media Research to be launched by our Department from the next academic session. The Diploma is in Sociology of Mass Communication and Media Research (not in sociology of communication and media research). It will be open to students from all academic streams — natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts (not merely to students of sociology and journalism); and there will be 15 seats (not 10 as reported). The students joining the Diploma will acquire a more sophisticated knowledge of mass communication theories as well as the methodology of media research.

BHUPINDER SINGH, Professor and Head, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Punjabi University, Patiala

Criminals in elections

Apropos of the editorial “Criminals in fray” (May 3), the suggestion for debarring the “undertrials, including those convicted” from entering the portals of Parliament and state legislatures is right. The Patna High Court’s directive has the potential of becoming a landmark ruling in electoral reforms to ensure that “the law breakers do not become the law makers.” The Supreme Court is now seized of the matter and the Election Commission and Parliament should explore ways to keep criminals off our representative institutions.

L.R. SHARMA, Jalandhar City