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

Ayodhya issue: waiting for the verdict

The editorial “All eyes on the verdict: Communal amity must be ensured” (Aug 31) rightly points out the apprehensions of reactions of the vested interests at the judgement of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on the Babri Masjid issue. History has already pronounced its judgement on the empire set up by Babur in the 16th century.

How certain groups in India responded to the bygone times by demolishing the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, is understandable, given their peculiar worldview. What they got out of their effort, given the more pressing problems the country is faced with, and the availability of better options to achieve their ends is inexplicable. Anyone who tries to relive history distracts from the reality of the contemporary world.  

Let the judiciary say how it has viewed the problem. Secular and democratic India of the 21st century should know how to tackle its internal problems, real or contrived.

JAGVINDER SINGH BRAR, Patiala

Distributing grains

The editorial “Food for thought” (Sept 2) was apt. Those entrusted with the job of proper storage and disposal of foodgrains should hang their heads in shame for their failure to save foodgrains from rotting. The Supreme Court’s direction to the government to distribute foodgrains to the poor is laudable. But the callous, insensitive and delayed response from the Union Agriculture Minister is lamentable.

It sounds as if Mr Sharad Pawar believes in power without responsibility. He has other things on his priority list. The outcome of the Supreme Court and the government’s action plan will be seen as a litmus test of the government and will prove its concern for effective and speedy distribution of foodgrains to the deserving sections of society.

The distribution of foodgrains should not be lost in politicking. Mr Pawar’s assurance that he will honour the decision of the Supreme Court on free distribution to the poor needs to be translated into action. It is also imperative that punitive action should be taken against the erring authorities who are responsible for the present mess so that no one is insensitive to the storage and disposal of foodgrains.

Dr SOSHIL RATTAN, Amritsar

II

The ideas can be implemented with persuasion and firm determination to remove hunger, a slur on India.

With slight addition to the Brazilian model of conditional subsidies, India should give free foodgrains to those BPL families who have two children. The public distribution system should be revamped. The burden of storage should be shared by states and proportionate storage capacity should be created.

GURMIT SINGH SAINI, SAS Nagar

Simplify tax laws

It is sad to note that the Finance Minister has admitted that the income tax department is the biggest litigant and Rs 75,000 crore is locked up in tax disputes (editorial, “Mounting tax arrears”, Sept 3).

To solve the problem our income tax payers should abide by the law. The officials of the income tax department should also do their duty honestly. Our income tax laws should be made really simple.

Dr M M GOEL, Seoul, Korea

Justice in time

Kudos to the Additional District and Sessions Judge, A.K. Shori of Kaithal who has created a record of sorts by delivering 148 judgments on a single day.  Mr Shori has surpassed the record of 111 judgments pronounced on a single day by Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge J.V.V. Satyanarayana Murthy.

The efficiency shown by these judges proves beyond any doubt that our judicial officers can dispose off cases quickly and expeditiously if they wish to do so. There is a greater need to emulate these examples by other judicial officers and advocates, across the nation.

S.K KHOSLA, Chandigarh

Working women’s woes The letter “Working women not caught in any trap” (Aug 31) by Dr S M Bose says “Today Indian women have come of age.” But I want to ask, “Have Indian men come of age?” Since when have men started doing dishes, washing clothes, cooking chapattis and readying children for schools alongside their working wives? In fact, a working woman is a loser at both the fronts. Leave aside Sonia Gandhis, Kiran Shaws and Chanda Kochhars of the world, who can afford an army of servants to do their household menial chores and whom no one can harass at their respective places of work. We are talking of the women of less privileged sections of our society, who are in majority. Let Dr Bose go to any construction site and see for himself, how even women in advanced stages of pregnancy lift head-loads of bricks while climbing stairs. In their case, it is out of necessity, but in the case of the middle class women, it is a take-it-or-leave-it situation with direness of consequences staring in the face, in case they refuse to work. The lure of lucre is killing love or sensitivity that might have been left in people. It is due to crass commercialism and materialistic attitudes of the West. But unlike western men, our men consider it below their dignity to help their partners in household work. The irony of it all is that a woman is generally not allowed to keep what she earns. That explains why the matrimonial columns are full of demands for working wives in addition to expectations of dowry. For girls of marriageable age, is there any choice left? If this is not a trap then what else is? VINOD KUMAR KHANNA, SAS Nagar