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

Vote against corruption in Karnataka

Apropos the editorial 'Vote against corruption' (May 9), the Karnataka Assembly verdict should not be considered a vote in favour of Rahul Gandhi nor treated as a vote against Narendra Modi. It is a clear public protest against poor governance and a mafia-like functioning of many political leaders. The Congress should not feel elated or hit back at the BJP or heap undue appreciation on its young vice-president.

In fact, the Assembly election results are a clarion call for leaders to wake up from their slumber and do something for the public. Moreover, voters, it seems, want to say goodbye to the coalition culture. Under coalition governments at the regional and national levels, political governance has only deteriorated and leaders have perfected the art of passing the buck.

In brief, the Karnataka elections give the following message to our political leadership — stop the loot of the state’s natural resources and the wastage of tax-payers' money; rid the governance of the tainted and criminal leaders; set the functioning of political parties in order and don’t wash your dirty linen in public; issues affecting the common man's life must get priority and should not be impeded through legislative malfunctioning.

One only hopes that our incorrigible leaders at last learn the right lesson.

VED GULIANI, Hisar

If the Congress has registered a victory in Karnataka in spite of being tainted by scams and corruption, it is because people were fed up with corruption during the BJP regime and poor development of the state. So, voters had no other option but to vote for the Congress.

KHUSHWINDER SINGH SURYA, Tapa (Barnala)

III

The Congress got a sweeping victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls. Those who believe that the win is because of Rahul Gandhi's visits to the state are wrong. On the other hand, BJP people are citing Narendra Modi's poor interest in the Karnataka elections as the main cause of its defeat. But the fact is that the state BJP lacked a charismatic leader.

Though the BJP's top leaders like Lal Krishan Advani, Sushma Swaraj and others visited the state for campaigning, their empty rhetoric cut no ice with voters. Besides, the state BJP leaders failed to make policies on education, training, employment, wages and curbing inflation.

DALIP SINGH WASAN, Patiala

It is a fact that voters have given their mandate against corruption, non-governance, nepotism, mafia and political instability. The Central leadership of the BJP failed to take any substantial action to properly tackle these issues.

We hope the new government in the state will provide corruption-free and good governance. The IT industry should again flourish. Investors should be assured of a conducive environment. Responsibility, accountability and transparency should be the hallmarks of the new government.

SUDESH KUMAR SHARMA, Kapurthala

Strike in courts

It is disturbing to note that strikes/boycott of courts have become a matter of routine these days. As a result, the normal working of courts is hampered, the pace of disposal of cases slows down and the mountain of pending court cases grows even bigger with each passing day. Litigants have to bear the brunt of the situation silently.

The trick seems essentially a "pressure tactic" in the hands of the lawyers' fraternity to protect and promote its own vested interests. On the face of it, there seems nothing wrong about it provided, of course, the 'weapon' is used sparingly and discreetly. However, if the trick is used mindlessly just to "tame" our upright and independent-minded judiciary, it has to be resisted firmly.

Cases of "judicial misconduct" must be brought to the notice of the state high court, but may best be left to be dealt with by the august body dispassionately.

TARA CHAND, Ambota (Una)

Anaemia is curable

According to an estimate, 57.9 per cent of Indian women are anaemic. Irrespective of income and level of education, women of all strata are affected by the disease. Around 40-90 per cent pregnant women in India are anaemic and contribute to 40 per cent of all maternal deaths. Poor pre-pregnancy iron balance and poor iron supplements are the main reasons for anaemia in pregnant women.

Moreover, India is the only country that tops in southern Asia by registering 80 per cent deaths due to anaemia. Iron supplements and iron fortification of food can combat this problem. The Himachal Government's decision to supplement once a week iron and folic acid supplements to schoolchildren is highly appreciable.

DR KIRAN & DR JITENDER MOKTA, Shimla

Unequal pay
Apropos the letter 'Unequal Pay' (May 9) by RS Bhullar, there is no doubt that the disparity in the pay of teachers working in the same institution hurts, but there is the other side of the picture as well.

I am the principal of a college that has only 11 posts of teacher which are covered under the grant-in-aid scheme of the Punjab Government and 25 teachers who are regular and confirmed but are not covered under the same scheme because the Punjab Government has not reviewed the posts existing in private aided colleges since 1981. In the non-teaching staff also, the scene is the same. All this has led to chaotic conditions in various colleges because they are now aided institutions in name only. The grant comes only for certain posts.
As and when a person working on an aided post retires, the post is frozen and ad-hoc appointments are made to teach students.
Meanwhile, the government keeps on announcing the revised pay scales and DA instalments. The only source of income is fees from students which we cannot be enhanced after some limit. Many students are too poor to afford the fees to pursue their education. Sometimes, one wonders if educational institutions are meant for students who are genuine learners or for those who are rich. If the government does not come to the rescue of colleges, the scene of higher education will continue to remain dismal. The gap between the pay structure of teachers of different categories can be bridged only if the government reviews the existing posts in the colleges and covers them under the grant-in-aid scheme.
DR DINESH SHARMA, Pathankot