L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Gentleman’s game shamed

Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Mathew Hayden, who are in India and playing for IPL, must be sharing a riotous laughter after the latest  “ugly” episode involving two players of team India that toured Australia a few months back —a tour that would remain in public memory for reasons other than cricket.

As an avid cricketing buff, one has often watched Bhajji and Sreesanth and their antics on the turf for the past many years and one gets the distinct impression that these two players are rotten eggs in the BCCI basket and now the IPL basket too. 

They have brought the gentleman’s game to disrepute on numerous occasions and have indulged in quaint mannerism and gesticulations that have brought no credit to them, the game or the country they represent.

Sunil Gavaskar, the cricketing legend, once said during the course of his commentary that “Sreesanth plays more for the camera than  for the team or the country”. As for as Bhajji, he is a serial offender and it is about time he is made to account for his wayward ways.

Dr M K BAJAJ, Zirakpur

II

Yes, Harbhajan has done it again. He has been doing it quite often in the past and we are guilty of siding with him every time. He has not only a history of bad behaviour but also a history of escaping serious punishment every time. That has made him overbearing and arrogant.

The slapping incident has done a great harm to the Indian cricket. For many people, it will now be difficult to disagree with Hayden’s “obnoxious weed” labelling. Then the entire nation had stood with him. Now the world will get convinced that Australians were not making baseless allegations against him.

We can accept a team playing hard, fighting for every run and every wicket, but we should never accept a player physically assaulting another player on or off field.

V.S. DHARMA KUMAR, New Delhi

Pay commission

Ever since the declaration of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, members of the armed forces have been voicing their dissatisfaction at every possible forum.

Even though the Prime Minister himself has assured them a better deal, chances are that their just and legitimate demands will again be ignored – as had indeed been many times in the past— by bureaucratic machinations, a fact to which our politicians have traditionally turned a blind eye!

In order to attract the best among youth to join the armed forces as well as to stem the exodus of those in service, the government would do well to immediately revise the pay package of the armed forces personnel commensurate with  their service hardships.

Our economy can grow only when our armed forces are strong, the borders are safe and peace prevails. Our law-makers should, therefore, show the same degree of unanimity and urgency as they did for hiking their own remunerations in the recent past!

BRIG (retd) GOVIND SINGH KHIMTA, Shimla

II

The government has constituted a committee to deal with discrepancies arising from the pay commission report, especially for big brothers — defence and police personnel and civil servants. What about the class C&D staff and the pensioners, who are the backbone of every department?

Hope these poor cows will also get some more grass.

R.K. SAINI, Pathankot

Darbar move

The news report “Darbar move at expense of state exchequer” (April 21) was quite informative. It is strange that the feudal practice of J&K darbar move is continuing even after 60 years of Independence. Apart from a huge expenditure, the move causes disruption in official work and inconvenience to the general public.

Further, if the people in the valley can bear the harsh winter conditions, why can’t the people’s representatives? Why should they, like the old maharajas, move out every winter from Srinagar to the cozy warmth of Jammu?

Wg-Cdr (retd) C.L. SEHGAL, Jalandhar