M A I L B A G

Learn a lesson from the sting operations

SOME of our MPs’ greed for money seems limitless. It would be very difficult for them to escape from the crime because the camera can’t lie. The corrupt practices by the people’s representatives have been exposed. Our present system has become a cesspool of corruption and crime with double talk as its motto. The system specialises in exploiting the Aam admi by painting a rosy future.

I think even a child knows how some of our parliamentarians and legislators, with humble beginnings, mint money and get rich in no time. They buy new houses, travel in big cars and throw lavish parties.

I feel all the political parties should learn a lesson from the two episodes and build internal vigilance. They must set up a transparent and accountable system to keep a watch on the activities of their members. There is need to audit the accounts of the parties and of individual members with special laws so that the corrupt members are brought to book.

Dr VITULL K. GUPTA, Bathinda

II

The MPs who were caught accepting bribes in two sting operations are a blot on society. They have brought shame and disgrace to the country. Nothing short of their expulsion from Parliament is the need of the hour.

However, expulsion alone is not enough. We appeal to the President of India and the Lok Sabha Speaker to take appropriate steps to ensure that the MPs do not go scot free. They should be disqualified from holding any elective office and criminal proceedings should be initiated against them for their involvement in corruption.

S. K. NAYAR, President,
Indian Citizens’ Forum, Panchkula

III

Some MPs have lowered India’s prestige in the comity of nations and have brought shame to our parliamentary democracy. No doubt, they are being expelled from their respective Houses and political parties. But it is not enough.

The sting operations put the onus back on the people. Every citizen should be extra vigilant during elections and elect only those who deserve to be our MPs or MLAs. Otherwise, such incidents are bound to recur with sickening regularity in future.

BALDEV SINGH KANG,
Bassi Pathana (Fatehgarh Sahib)

IV

The pertinent question is how to arrest moral decay in public life. In the first place, how are these worthies for whom the price tag is as low as Rs 5,000 considered fit enough to be MPs by their political bosses?

The leaders of all the political parties distribute tickets to persons only on the basis of their money power and winnability and thus sow the seeds of corruption. In the process, the political parties too become a part and parcel of such scams.

Leaders of the political parties too cannot be absolved of blame. As long as the criteria for awarding tickets is based on money rather than merit and moral values, there will be no end to scams of this kind, striking at the very root of democracy. It is a wake up call for the nation to do some soul-searching to arrest this downward slide in public life.

SUKHDEV SINGH GILL, Jagraon

V

Our leaders often claim that India is the world’s largest democracy. Both Houses of Parliament are temples of democracy. Hence it is the sacred duty of every parliamentarian to work accordingly. But the corroborative evidence of accepting bribe by some of them for asking questions in Parliament has put the entire nation to shame. The guilty MPs should be given exemplary punishment.

RAVI PARKASH,
Kalayat (Kaithal)

VI

Bribes for raising questions in Parliament! Never heard of it before. Parliament’s image has already taken a beating because of the prevailing corruption and wrong-doing in public life. It seems everything is up for sale here. What a shame!

Is this the type of democracy we had bargained for in 1947 and which we often proclaim as one of our biggest achievements from our rooftops too often? What a fall! Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what harm they are doing to our country.

Wg-Cmdr S.C. KAPOOR (retd),
Noida (UP)

Timely decision

Punjab School Education Board Chairman Harbans Singh Sidhu’s decision to depute examiners directly to hold the examinations is significant and timely. His plan to formulate three sets of papers, make table-marking compulsory in the checking centres, reduce the time period of “reading” the question papers from 15 to 10 or five minutes, specially in border areas will ensure transparency.

However, the plan to make the papers short for the examinees so that they may get enough time to attempt answers seems to be a drawback. For, it may hinder the power of expression and reasoning.

ONKAR SINGH, Pandori-Nijjaran (Jalandhar)