M A I L B A G

Parliament’s image takes a beating

After Mr Natwar Singh’s exit from the Union Council of Ministers following the Volcker Committee report, the cash-for-questions scam involving 11 MPs comes to the fore. It seems our society has become sick and we are living in a rotten society which is choking us to shame and disgust.

The question arises whether mere expulsion of the 11 MPs from Parliament is enough. Will expulsion wash off their sin? But in our country corruption is not new. It could have been nipped in the bud long back but Jawaharlal Nehru did note take this menace seriously and hence the malaise continues unabated. Corruption grew fast under successive Congress regimes.

Thus, mere expulsion or resignation of the 11 MPs is not enough. They should be severely punished to act as a deterrent. If there is a consensus between the UPA government and all the political parties to root out corruption, severe punishment should be given to the offenders.

S.P. SHARMA, Mumbai

II

This has reference to the editorial “It’s a shame” (Dec 13). The Operation Duryodhana has shocked the conscience of the nation. The MPs’ involvement in the scam deserves to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. It is a shame that persons who ought to raise questions of public interest were demanding money for the same.

It is time the government took concrete steps to check the growing criminalisation of politics. Expulsion of the 11 MPs from Parliament and their subsequent disqualification from contesting elections will be sufficient to teach them a lesson.

MANPREET SINGH DHIMAN, Patiala

III

MPs are caught while taking bribe. It’s like a surgery with a knife. The society is wounded following the Operation Duryodhana. The government may institute committees after committees to get to the roots of the scam. But of what use would these committees be if the MPs involved in the scam were not brought to book?

Dr SHYAM ATAL, Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

IV

The 11 MPs in question have lost their moral authority to represent people in Parliament. They should be expelled from Parliament and disqualified from contesting any election or holding any office of profit. They should be put behind bars as they are guilty of accepting bribe, which is a criminal offence.

Dr NARESH RAJ, Patiala

V

The cash-for-question scam proves that politics today is a dirty business and politicians would milk any means which can earn them a few more bucks. No doubt, it has become a job with minimal qualifications required.

Apparently, the scam was aimed at embarrassing the BJP more than any other party, given the track record of the architect of the Operation Duryodhana.

UDITA AGRAWAL, New Delhi

VI

Why should we choose persons of low morale and character to Parliament? Why can’t we elect honest, sincere and well educated people as MPs or MLAs? It is a shame to see some MPs taking money to raise questions in Parliament.

All the guilty MPs should be barred from holding any representative office in the country. The fight against corruption is a very big battle. However, while sustaining the momentum on our war against corruption, we must ensure that all those found corrupt are shown the door forthwith.

MOHD SHAFI, Gurgaon

VII

What a contrast between the martyrs of December 13, 2001, who sacrificed their lives to save Parliament and the 11 MPs who were caught accepting cash for raising questions in Parliament! Sir Walter Scott’s My Native Land hypothesis of ‘doubly dying’ exemplifies the significance with the expose of the Operation Duryodhana.

Because of the misdeeds of a few members, Parliament’s image has taken a severe beating. This should not be allowed to happen again.

SURESH KHOSLA, Chandigarh

VIII

The latest scam has brought shame to our country. Expulsion of these MPs is not sufficient. They should be tried in fast track courts and, if found guilty, should be brought to book to act as a deterrent.

When a low paid employee takes a small amount as bribe, he is punished, jailed and even removed from service. But MPs and ministers usually go scot free and, after some time, return to active public life. I hope the 11 MPs who were found taking bribes to raise questions in Parliament would not get the opportunity of returning to public life again.

P. N. GUPTA, Chandigarh

IX

The cash-for-question scam proves that some MPs are giving a bad name to a glorious institution. The Operation Duryodhana by Cobrapost.com, is reminiscent of its Tehlka operation in which former BJP President Bangaru Lakshman and some Army officials were involved.

Majority of the MPs caught in the camera belong to the BJP. Consequently, can the BJP call itself as a “party with a difference” anymore? The Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal are in no way clean parties. In any case, the Operation Duryodhana confirms the poor health of the Indian polity.

B.M. SINGH, Brockville (Canada)

Is UGC exempt from RTI Act? The University Grants Commission (UGC) organises the National Eligibility Test (NET) every six months. The next NET is due on December 31. However, till date the UGC has not clarified about the minimum passing marks for the test. The UGC is also not giving the marks scored in NET to the candidates; it only gives the roll numbers to the eligible candidates. Of what use is the Right to Information (RTI) Act if the UGC doesn’t respond to candidates’ repeated enquiries? I wonder whether the UGC is exempt from the RTI Act. KULDEEP GOYAL, Sardulgarh (Mansa)