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Anna’s movement awakened the masses
In an otherwise well-written article, “Crusade against corruption”
(August 30), the writer seems to be peeved with Anna’s method. It surprises no one that the votaries of status quo are justly perturbed. They never thought that an anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, buried in bureaucratic detritus for 42 years, could throb back to life once again. Firstly, they tried to harm Anna’s reputation, but the move backfired. Now his methods are being criticized as anarchic. If a perfectly peaceful protest is anarchy, what is it that we witness daily on Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha channels? Every adjournment of the House indicates scant respect for rules of the House. If there is a danger to the institutions, it is more from within than without. Lastly, had Anna not awakened the people on the issue of corruption, another 42 or more years could have elapsed before another Anna or even worse, an extremist, could have picked up the broom. Why not be magnanimous and give credit where it is due? VINOD KUMAR
KHANNA, S A S Nagar Indo-Pak relations This refers to Maharajakrishna Rasgotra’s article
“Normalising Indo-Pak ties” (August 29). There is no doubt that “a fast globalising world is no place for abiding animosity”. It is equally true that a lot can be done to forge good neighbourly relations, for which — and this is the crux of the matter — visible dismantling of the terror network by Pakistan is an essential prerequisite. Far from even beginning this task, recent reports suggest that Pakistan is now training Somali pirates, many of whom now hail from the Middle East, but operate off the Somalia coast. This is an attempt to open our seaward flank for terrorism in the guise of Somali piracy. Therefore, no stylish Foreign Minister can disguise the real and hostile intent of Pakistan controlled by its military. The ISI construes Sharm-el-Sheikh and Thimphu statements as an inherent Hindu weakness, which further emboldens them in attacking us through proxies. While it is civilized to hope for good neighbourly relations, it will promote our national interest more effectively if a degree of pragmatism, based on ground realities, moderates our pious hopes and idealism. No amount of pretty talk should cloud our thinking when dealing with our neighbour. The reality is that peace and good neighbourliness will take some more years, hopefully without more
bloodshed. Maj-Gen PUSHPENDRA SINGH (retd), Panchkula |
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Rajiv’s assassins This refers to the news item, “Karunanidhi seeks amnesty for Rajiv Killers” (August 30). The assassins of Rajiv Gandhi have been languishing in jail for the last 20 years. Their mercy plea has been rejected after a long period of inordinate delay of 11 years. Why is this unnecessary delay? There is an urgent need to set up fast-track courts to dispense justice and to create a sense of both fear and respect for the law of the land in the minds of the people of the country. The politicization of such high-profile cases should be discouraged. The human rights watchdogs should not be allowed to take advantage of such issues. But, an attempt may also be made to save the human rights of the culprits. Justice delayed is justice denied. But to punish a culprit twice for a crime he has committed is a travesty of justice. This needs to be stopped. Prof RAJAN KAPOOR, Nakodar Duronto Express The Duronto Express between Chandigarh and Amritsar will boost tourism in the state, and will provide much relief to the public, traders and entrepreneurs. The train departs from Amritsar at 5.25am, but it returns from Chandigarh at 7pm, which is quite late. This is because the train will then reach Amritsar at around 11.15pm. This will cause inconvenience to people, especially the tourists, even others, who are going to Amritsar for the first time. Reaching a relative’s place or looking for hotels there so late is going to be quite troublesome. In order to avoid inconvenience to passengers, the train should depart from Chandigarh a little early so that the passengers reach Amritsar by 9 pm or so, enabling them to reach their respective destination without any difficulty. VK KAPUR, Panchkula Sports Bill Not much can be expected from a government, which lets its national game’s prestige go down the drain, let alone the rest of the sports. Hence, direct intervention of the government in the national governing body of cricket would be least productive, if not a threat to the game of cricket as a whole. This is the main fear of those who oppose the National Sports Development Bill 2011. Though some of the clauses of the bill are highly inappropriate, there are certain provisions, which will give a little insight into the functioning of the BCCI that has till now been opaque to the outside world. The BCCI, the body responsible for building a multi-million dollar empire from scratch, manages the team, which represents India as a cricket authority worldwide. Cricket has managed to surpass other sports in all spheres. No action should be taken which could threaten the game’s status in general. But as a representative of India and also in the interest of the nation, the BCCI should be accountable to the country. AMULYA SHARMA, Chandigarh
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