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Appoint men of integrity as Governors

I fully agree with the views expressed in the editorial, “Dabbling in politics: Karnataka Governor must go by rules” (July 15). Surely, Karnataka Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj is meddling with the functioning of the state government. Mr Bhardwaj should stick only to the duties assigned to him by the Constitution. He has no right to interfere in the “manner” in which an elected government functions in the state.

Dabbling in state politics and creating hurdles in the functioning of the government at every step only shows that the Governor is acting as a super Chief Minister of Karnataka. That is certainly not justified. Though, as the editorial points out, the Karnataka Governor’s concern over the alleged involvement of some ministers in illegal mining in his state is genuine, his way of tackling the issue is wrong. A Governor should not act as an “agent” of the ruling party just because he has been appointed by it. He should be impartial in his working and take no sides that would bring a bad name to the august office that he holds. Punishing the guilty ministers involved in the illegal mining activities is the job of the Chief Minister of the state.

The practice of appointing Governors by the ruling parties at the Centre to accommodate politicians loyal to them is certainly playing havoc. The editorial gives a good advice that “the Governor, on his part, would do well to observe the Constitutional niceties and decorum and leave the matter of day-to-day governance to the duly elected government.” Only apolitical persons of high integrity and calibre should be appointed Governors.

R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh

ANITA KATARIA, Patiala

II

Mr Dhillon’s middle took me on a nostalgic trip down the memory lane when I too worked as a senior English teacher in a school in Ludhiana. I too loved my work and my students didn’t mind the imposition of strict discipline in the class.

I left my job around four years back and feel proud to know that till date my students remember me as a teacher of English who made the subject interesting. I firmly believe that its attitude that makes a teacher popular.

DEEPALI BANSAL, Ludhiana

Petrol and the poor Nirmal Sandhu’s article that appeared in The Tribune on July 12 was informative. All politicians, particularly those belonging to the BJP and the Left conglomeration, must read this article to update their political knowledge on the subject. When it comes to petroleum, society can be divided into two sections: users and non-users. The users are of two classes — upper and lower. Those belonging to the upper classes have petrol-powered vehicles for every family member and their chefs use multi-burner gas stoves. The increase in petroleum prices is of little concern to them. The other class consists of producers, service providers and salaried persons. The former two palm off the increase to the consumers. The salaried ones are looked after by their employers, be it the government or others. It is thus the non-users who get affected firstly by the increase in inflation and secondly by the bandhs. The non-users are stranded on bus stops and railway platforms, languish in the corridors of civil hospitals waiting for the doctors to arrive. Many of these people live in villages or slums around the metropolitan cities. They use public conveyance or pedalled vehicles. This section is getting frustrated and may revolt. S S RANDHAWA, via e-mail