The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Letters to the Editor

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

Provide for the right to recall

The latest Supreme Court direction to the Election Commission to give voters the right to reject the contesting candidates whom they disapprove of due to their dubious credentials is welcome. It has provided a great relief to the law-abiding electorate who are always concerned about the Indian polity/society sliding into lawlessness and tyranny. Naturally, the fear of negative vote will spur the political parties to behave in a more responsible manner.

Moreover, we should make a provision for compulsory voting, the right to recall abrasive legislators, fixing educational qualifications for the candidates, the age of retirement from politics and fixing two terms (be it chief minister or prime minister).

TAJPREET S KANG, Hoshiarpur

This landmark judgment will certainly bring drastic changes in making functional democracy more vibrant and participative. An individual candidate's charisma and character also pays an important part in democracy. Each voter has an inclination towards a political party. In the larger interest of the party, a voter votes for the party and not a candidate. The selection of candidates is also made on the basis of caste, creed, regional balances and social standings. So, this would also be more appropriate and logical that instead of the “None of the above” (NOTA) option, voters should have a choice to vote against a particular candidate, or else the least scorer would be declared elected vis-a-vis to that of NOTA number.

BALAK RAM DHIMAN, Hamirpur

Law-breakers

It is really painful that 31 per cent of the legislators face criminal cases and the UPA government is supporting to make them sit in House which make laws. The editorial ‘The UPA blunder’ (September 27) has rightly pointed out that an employee who having charges against him is suspended, then why MPs/MLAs having charges against them are allowed to enjoy all? The candidates with clean records and a good public image should only come forward for contesting elections. If lawmakers are criminal, how can a common person remain safe and secured?

O P GARG, Patiala

Soldiers betrayed

The government has announced to set up the Seventh Pay Commission, the recommendations of which will be implemented from January 1, 2016. But a separate pay commission for the armed forces is nowhere in sight. The anomalies created by the Sixth Pay Commission are still fresh in our minds. In April 2008, the service Chiefs met the Defence Minister to show their discontentment and anguish over the anomalies and decided not to implement the findings of the pay commission in the armed forces till the anomalies were rectified. It is in this context that the government agreed to have a separate pay commission for the armed forces in future.

In the present scenario, the three Chiefs have agreed not to insist on a separate pay commission for the forces to avoid a disconnect from the mainstream In the absence of a separate pay commission for the armed forces, it is pertinent that there is a proper military representation on the regular pay commission which should include members from the defence fraternity and veterans who will be able to project the hardship of Siachen and desert of Rajasthan. So, they will be able to put forward the problems of the armed forces in the right perspective keeping in view the uniqueness of the armed forces.

WG CDR J S BHALLA (RETD), Chandigarh

Pay commission

The state legislators and MPs increase their salaries and perks at will. The Central government employees get their salaries, dearness allowance and other perks increased at will. And the pensioners also benefit from the increase in DA and the pay commission. Whenever there is "mehngai" (dearness), they get an immediate relief in the shape of an increase in DA. The state governments also follow suit. How can then they realise the pinch of dearness or inflation? And if they do not feel the pinch, how can we find a solution to benefit the entire population? It is really shameful that the government thinks of only government employees' interest and comforts, not private employees.

As if the recent 10 per cent increase in DA to the Central government employees was not enough, the government, with an eye on 2014 elections, wasted no time to announce the Seventh Pay Commission. Such proposals, having huge social and economic bearings, should be examined by an independent agency. This agency is free from government influence and must take due consideration of all segments of society before okaying/modifying/rejecting these proposals.

T N KASHYAP, Palampur

VC’s offer to quit
This refers to the news item “A ‘hurt’ Vice-Chancellor offers to quit” (September 29), which implicitly warrants the academicians of the universities in our country (and Panjab University in particular) to take a serious note of the practice of levelling unfounded allegations against the Vice-Chancellors by some unscrupulous senators — lacking right attitude of mind, knowledge and communication of experience-in some universities, particularly in this region. A Senator is commissioned to criticise constructively the functioning and policies of a university and support the Vice-Chancellor to make the university the apex of the educational edifice.
It would be a sheer wastage of the precious time of the Senate if one of its members in the meeting would stand and seek an explanation from the Vice-Chancellor by alleging that “he had been informed that Grover had been accusing the Senate and Syndicate members of being a hindrance to the functioning of the university.” The Senate is significantly a prestigious body of the university and in no way it can afford to discuss such a preposterous, petty and womanish allegation. In fact, no wise Vice-Chancellor having a great sense of self-dignity can allow a debate on it in the Senate. A Vice-Chancellor is like a missionary in a more real and active sense than any of his colleagues. He has obligations not merely to the students who come to the university to study and do research but still more towards the population outside the university walls. For Professor Grover a university is one of the chief temples of the human spirit in which all should come together to worship.
Prof B L CHAKOO (Emeritus), Amritsar