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

Bills must be discussed in Parliament

A presumption that the government is a blindfolded horse and flogging it in the middle of the road would make him kowtow to the hunter is a folly. The civil society members headed by Anna Hazare must show some level of maturity. Fasting is the worst weapon to be used to get one’s demands fulfilled. The high-voltage diplomatic charade against the ruling party to make it concede to the Lokpal Bill is unethical and deplorable. A democracy never functions the way Anna is trying to manoeuvre it.

Anna had political stalwarts beside him at Jantar Mantar who created ‘mass hysteria’. His take is that the Lokpal Bill drafted by his so-called civil society is pious and the one drafted by the standing committee is a vilifying one.

Our constitution has laid down format regarding implementations of bills and a stringent procedure to put them into practice. Digression from this course would whack democratic functioning of the nation as this would allude to an autocratic regime rather than a democracy.

Bills are meant to be discussed in Parliament by its members, who are representatives of the people residing in different parts of the country. Bills can never be discussed in open grounds or on roads and suggestions by a small group of people cannot be turned into laws. We have to adhere to an egalitarian path. Anna’s postulate that MPs pilfer the nation’s resources can be countered by a cross-question: How can we be assured that members of civil society possess the purest rectitude quotient? Anna can’t derail the constitutional framework and make the legislature cede to his demands.

KANISHKA PATHAK,Jharkhand

II

The government has different departments like the police, intelligence agencies, the bureaucracy, the judiciary, et al. Imagine a situation without these institutions. Likewise, there is a need for an independent and effective institution to check corruption. So, let the Lokpal or anti-corruption department get established.

There may be some loopholes in the Lokpal but let it start functioning. Something positive will come out. At least people will get an independent department where complaints of corruption will be investigated. Anti-corruption wave must not be nipped in the bud. We should all stand up for a stringent Lokpal and help cleanse the administration.

Dr KAMALJEET KAUR SEKHON, Patiala

Letters to the Editor

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— Editor-in-Chief

Subtle forms of corruption Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption heralds hope for the masses. Paying or accepting a bribe alone does not encompass the word corruption. Its scope warrants inclusion of many more facets. Character, courage of conviction and sense of duty are the other faces of the word ‘corruption’. Unsympathetic, callous and negative attitude of the bureaucrats and other government servants towards ‘aam admi’ also come under the ambit of corruption. Govt employees arriving late or leaving early from offices, using substandard material for public construction, school teachers abetting copying or not dedicated to teaching, officials using official machinery for personal use, judges causing deliberate delay in the delivery of justice, elected representatives causing disruptions in Parliament too are subtle forms of corruption. Lt BACHITTAR SINGH (retd), Mohali

Students’ loss

It is a matter of great concern that college teachers of Punjab and Chandigarh have been forced by the incumbent SAD-BJP ruling alliance to go on strike, thereby affecting studies in colleges. The college teachers have been protesting for long to get their genuine demands fulfilled, but the government has been dilly–dallying the issue.

This has forced the teaching community to come on the streets. The government does not accord top priority to higher education in Punjab. It wants to privatise education to abdicate its responsibility of providing access and equity in higher education to a large section of society. The grant–in- aid scheme is being strangled. College teachers are being denied pension.

The private-aided colleges face a bleak future and most of them are on the brink of closure. Higher education in Punjab will become a thing of the past if such insensitive attitude persists. The government should pay heed to the genuine demands of the teachers and fulfil them to save higher education in the state.

Prof RAJAN KAPOOR, Nakodar

Sibal in PC’s defence

Defending Home Minister PC Chidambram, Union Telecommunications Minister Kapil Sibal said that Chidambaram did nothing wrong in the 2G Spectrum episode. He further asserted that Chidambram’s doings were in line with policies of the earlier NDA government. This is a ridiculous argument.

New governments take over with their new policies and agendas. They often take steps to eradicate the ‘wrong-doings’ of their predecessors. Kapil Sibal tried to justify one wrong with another.

BK CHAUDHARI, UK

Election laws

The people of Punjab should be educated on elections bye-laws as the state goes to polls shortly. The general masses should be aware of the legal fallout of the wrong methods adopted by certain political parties and religious heads.

People should be educated on casting of votes by electronic machines. If democracy is to flourish, elections to Parliament must be voluntary, free and fair. In fact, the people have an enviable role in electing a political party.

HARPREET SANDHU, Advocate, Ludhiana

Dividing India

I fully agree with the views expressed in the article, ‘The case against division’ (December 11). Uttar Pradesh should not be divided as it is the heartland of India. The students of geopolitics know the importance of the heartland for the health and the maintenance of a country. UP has historical importance and affinities as well.

It gave us leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. The division of UP will be a blunder for India that should be avoided under all circumstances.

AMAR JIT SINGH GORAYA, Australia