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

Waiting for Godot

Apropos ‘An Opportunity Lost’ (January 1), it is a tall order to expect politicians to sink their differences and self-interest and opt for a legislation that can become a noose round their neck. The privileged are unlikely to sacrifice their own freedom of action and give up power for the public good.

— Anup Kumar Gakkhar, Haridwar

Defeat in victory

I sincerely believe that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are serious about fighting corruption. I admire both of them but their silence in the Rajya Sabha (An opportunity lost, January 1) has deeply saddened many like me. Had they done their homework better or had one of them stood up and called for voting, knowing fully that the official Bill would be defeated, they would have exposed other parties. Even if the government had lost, our faith in them would have been restored. If only Rahul Gandhi had joined Anna at Ramlila Ground, the Congress could have secured a moral victory.

— Colonel R D Singh, Ambala Cantt ( Haryana)

Obey the law

I would have liked to read about some suggestions on how to break the logjam on the Lokpal (An opportunity lost, January 1).  There has to be a middle ground. Neither the official Bill nor the Jan Lokpal Bill suggested by the civil society activists were without flaws. While a beginning has been made to bring in a more comprehensive and stringent law to curb corruption, a parallel movement needs to be sustained by the civil society to change our mindset, and make us obey the existing laws. Without such groundwork, one more law may not mean much.

— R.K. Kapoor, Chandigarh

Senseless debate

Watching the debate in the Rajya Sabha (An opportunity lost, January 1) was a disturbing experience. The speakers delivered long-winded speeches, as many as 187 amendments were moved, many of them allegedly overlapping each other or contradictory. But why was the debate allowed to be so directionless ? It was not a political rally. The speakers should have confined themselves to the points of objection and later speakers should have been stopped from repeating the points.

— Jyoti Heer, Rehmanpur, Jalandhar Cantt

Phoney federalism

An Opportunity Lost by Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey (January,1) did well to sum up the nonchalant attitude of the dissenting members of the Rajya Sabha, who made a mockery of the Lokpal Bill already passed by the Lok sabha. Without Lokayuktas in the states, the fight against corruption would be half-hearted. But that is precisely what the opposition seemed to stall. The allegation that the Lokpal Bill would be an assault on the states was not only a late realization but even phoney.

— Gurmit Singh Saini, Mohali.

People power

Political parties, not even the BJP, want a strong Lokpal ( An opportunity lost, January 1) as they are scared of the consequences. But the delay in passing the Bill could well be a blessing in disguise. Something better can eventually come out of the impasse, though the duplicity and double standards of politicians would have eroded the faith of the people in their representatives. But when people take the lead, parliamentarians cannot afford to stay too far behind. The Bill, therefore, will surely see the light of day. It is wrong to call it an opportunity lost.

— Dr. Puran Singh Institute of Rural Development, Nilokher

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