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Raj and his men must face stern action

Enough has been read, said and heard about Raj Thackeray and his MNS. But the unprecedented incident of unruly behaviour seen in the Maharashtra Assembly showed contempt for general etiquette that is expected of legislators within the precincts of the august house (editorial, “Goonda Raj”, Nov 11).

Mr Thackeray has been advocating a new brand of regional politics that harbours more of hate than anything else for those he believes are “alien people” and agendas he presumes are “anti-Maharashtrian”.

His aggressive stand on the use of Marathi in the Assembly is definitely not constitutionally permissible. This incident needs to be condemned as democratically shameful. If this show of parochialism is not dealt with sternly, it will prove to be a breeding ground for a new crop of politicians who will fuel the idea of “states in isolation” existing within a union of states that constitute a country. Indeed, the whole fiasco will have long-term dangerous implications. If members as elected representatives of the people across the country are to holler for such irrational demands, where are we, as a country, heading for?

PACHU MENON, Goa

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor, neatly hand-written or typed in double space, should not exceed the 150-word limit. These can be sent by post to the Letters Editor, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030. Letters can also be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribuneindia.com
— Editor-in-Chief

The editorial aptly elaborates the need to haul up the MNS chief, Raj Thackeray, at whose behest his MNS MLAs took the law into their hands and went to the extent of roughing and thrashing Mr Abu Azmi who began to take oath in Hindi, the national language.

Their suspension is not enough. They should be brought to justice for their sinful and cowardly act against the spirit of the Constitution that gives freedom to every citizen to speak in the language of his or her choice. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city and it is indeed a matter of pride that a Muslim MLA is taking oath in Hindi, affirming his faith in the Constitution. India boasts of secularism, multiracialism and tolerance. Men like Thackeray cannot be allowed to dent India’s image.

GURMIT SINGH SAINI, SAS Nagar

III

The shameful act of MNS MLAs has projected the deformed face of the MNS. People like Raj Thackeray must know that Hindi is the only language that has strengthened the fabric of our country right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He is advised not to push the country towards disorder, anarchy and intolerance. Can an individual’s interests be greater than a nation’s interest?

O P BILLU, Bathinda

What Raj Thackeray’s cohorts did in the Maharashtra Assembly is nothing but goondaism and fascism. Taking oath in Hindi is no crime. Hindi is our national language and a symbol of national unity. Indeed, Mr Abu Azmi, a Muslim, should be encouraged and not humiliated for taking oath in Hindi.

AMAR JIT SINGH GORAYA, Scotland, UK

Democracy is in danger in India. The MLAs of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) roughed up Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi inside the Maharashtra Assembly. Every Indian should condemn their behaviour.

The membership of the four MNS MLAs was suspended for four years. Instead, the MLAs should be arrested and suspended for the entire tenure. The MNS should be banned and the MLAs in question should be debarred from contesting elections in future.

M L GARG, Chandigarh

The MNS MLA’s attack on Mr Abu Azmi during the oath taking ceremony in the Maharashtra Assembly in Mumbai has shocked one and all. The MNS MLAs acted in such an appalling manner only to gain publicity. Stern action should be taken against leaders like Raj Thackeray who try to sow seeds of hatred among people.

VIPAN K SIKRI, Ferozepore

Be cautious of GM foods
The article “Green signal to Bt brinjal” (Nov 11) by S S Chahal, advocating the introduction of Bt brinjal in India has not been able to address important questions raised by environmentalists and health activists about the consequences of disturbing the cell metabolism by genetic engineering. Disturbing genetic material through the process of inserting new gene constructs a battery of new genes that may trigger off detrimental metabolic processes. It is not only a hypothesis. Sufficient scientific data exists.

Scientists should be cautious and carry out long-term studies before using GM foods commercially. At present, biotechnology companies, under the hypnotising influence of market economy, rely on a highly contested paradigm of “substantial equivalence” to demonstrate the safety of genetically engineered foods. In this method, the overall chemical composition of the genetically engineered food is compared to an equivalent conventional food. If there is no significant difference between the two, the GE plant is considered to be safe.
However, there is no mechanism in such an approach to detect unexpected or unintended changes like new toxic compounds in the cell or how the human body reacts both metabolically and genetically to the consumption of such food. Definitely, genetic engineering is an important technology. But reckless embrace of genetically modified crops without any transparency about the process of clearance, various bio-safety tests and long-term feeding studies is a recipe for disaster.
Dr VITULL K GUPTA, Bathinda