M A I L B A G

Two shaky years of UPA government

The UPA dispensation has completed two years in office and the occasion was duly celebrated by the leading partner and the allies with the release of a booklet and the mandatory dinner with all the partners breaking bread together. It augurs well for the stability of the coalition which has seen pretty tough times in a relatively small period of two years.

However, the road ahead is going to be bumpy and Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi shall have to use all their pursuasive skills in the coming days. The Left is breathing down their neck on the impending increase in petrol prices, the privatisation of airports, Indo-US nuclear deal among other pressing problems, not the least of which is the Mandal-II issue.

One can only hope that all the partners of this fragile coalition apply themselves and do not take any hasty steps to bring down the government and force yet another election.

M.K. BAJAJ, Zirakpur

Mother’s name

It refers to the welcome step of the Delhi government making mother’s name compulsory in government documents. But much more is required to be done as nothing can improve situation of women in society till practical measures are taken by the government so that people may find birth of girl-child as necessary in the family! Like registration of property in women’s name in the capital is on reduced rates, all purchases of items like vehicles and others in name of women may attract half of local taxes (VAT or sales-tax).

MADHU AGRAWAL, Delhi

What a decline! As an ex-serviceman I find it shameful and disturbing that defence officers, some of them high-ranking, should be indulging in undesirable practices like misappropriation of funds and fake encounters for pecuniary benefits, awards, and promotions. Further, there have been reports of molestation of lady officers by their seniors. For all these offences, administrative/legal processes are under way. Even rapes on the part of some jawans are not unheard of.  Defence personnel, once known for their unimpeachable integrity, profound sense of duty, discipline and honour, are unfortunately becoming latter-day avatars of their civilian counterparts. It is symptomatic of the rot that is increasingly infesting Indian society and polity.  How can an officer, who is himself dishonest and lacks moral fibre, win their confidence and respect, and lead them to victory when the day of reckoning comes? No wonder, instances of misdemeanour and wrong-doing on the part of jawans are on the increase. As an old saying goes, there are only bad officers and not bad soldiers.    Wing Commander S.C. KAPOOR (retd) Noida

Police brutality

It was brutal police lathicharge on ordinary workers (of Hero Honda) at Gurgaon. It was police brutality on the medicos at Delhi and Mumbai.

In all these instances, the democratically and peacefully protesting citizens were without any arms, without any gun, without any bomb, without any lathi, without any stones or any missile in their possession. Aren’t all these incidents reminiscent and a revisit of the historical Jalianwalabagh incident during British rule, albeit at a somewhat minor scale? Incidentally, all these incidents happened in Congress-ruled states - Haryana, Delhi and Mumbai (Maharashtra) with a Congress-led government at the Centre. Is the British, or any other alien rule, going to come back to India ?

P.K. NANDA, by e-mail

Not a govt ban

The reports are wrong that say the Gujarat government has banned “Fanaa”. The government has no involvement in the case. Theatre owners’ association has taken decision on its own.

Being celebrity, can only Aamir Khan give his opinion? A citizen of India can’t give has opinion? This is what Gujarat people have done. They have refused to see the film. Owners have refused to screen the movie because their sentiments have been hurt by Aamir Khan.

Watch “Aajtak” for interview of Manubhai Patel (President, Theatre Association) who clarified the fact that it’s their conscience that prohibits them from screening the film.

Why Aamir didn’t utter even a word when Hindus were massacred in J&K?

Why Aamir is not supporting the doctors in their movement against quota?

I am not attached to any political party. I am a chartered accountant working outside Gujarat who loves Gujarat and India very much.

KETUL SHAH, by e-mail

Why not women?

The percentage of women in population is 50 per cent but none of the wise men in the Lok Sabha can agree to provide quota for them. Clearly, it’s a man’s world. But the same wise men do not blink on eyelid to sanction quota on a caste basis. Obviously in the rotten world of politics women do not count. What a shame!

UDITA AGRAWAL, Delhi

Think of the poor

This is apropos of the ongoing agitation by doctors. The state has its agenda. So has the medical fraternity. Decidedly it is the poor who are bearing the brunt of this ongoing agitation.

The state may talk of recruiting medicos to make up for the void created by the ongoing agitation but this will take time. There are a large number of genuine emergencies. A stitch in time saves nine. A cancer patient may be slowly dying and his case may not be hopeless today. The same is definitely going to be so if he is not operated upon soon. But who bothers? Is anybody who matters is listening?

HARVINDER SINGH, by e-mail