Will probe have effect?

The reporter may have done a series of investigations to expose the misuse of state-owned resources, but there won’t be any outcome and the matter will soon be brushed under the carpet. Similar exposés were done by The Tribune on the Badal family’s transport policy, but nothing came out of it. SAD mouthpiece PTC News started defending them and the dust settled in a few days.

Till the time some strict and serious penalties such as life imprisonment and attachment of property, aren't enforced, this practice won't stop. The powerful connections of political parties can be assessed by the fact that a competitor news channel was forced to go off air as it was against the Akalis’ interests. If the courts take up the matter, we will see some officers getting suspended, but they’ll be reinstated shortly.

At present, politics is the best platform to become an entrepreneur. Almost every leader has a bunch of establishments in his name. Their business interests have forced government institutions to go under heavy debt.

Deepjot S Thukral, Ambala Cantt

Clear doubts, Mr Badal

Hats off to The Tribune for exposing the vast empire of the Badal family. It will restore the faith of the public in the media. Long back, a senior journalist told me that the real job of a journalist was to expose the rulers’ misdeeds by walking in the corridors of power and not getting sucked in by the seats of power or singing the tunes of the rulers.

The Badal family should use this opportunity to clarify the doubts of people regarding their businesses.

As the rulers never issue press statements about their loot, it is the duty of journalists to investigate and expose them and help the common man and the State by clearing the picture.

Prof K K Garg, Chandigarh

Punjab biz model

The BJP has produced a watchable video on the Gandhi-Vadra family business model. It could use the same skills to make an even better video on the Badal-Kairon-Majithia business empires. Gandhi-Vadra look puny compared to the Punjab trio.

Lalit Mohan, Gurgaon

Bold reporting

I read the reports on the Badal clan. It is excellent and bold reporting. The Tribune is my favourite newspaper since my school days. I hope one day we can view The Tribune news on television.

Harjit Waraich, Australia

Shameless politicians

Our leaders seem to be shameless and thick-skinned. Whenever a corruption scandal is unearthed, they cite the conspiracy angle to shield themselves. Sukhbir Badal’s response to the investigation series by The Tribune, alleging that the newspaper had been hijacked by Capt Amarinder Singh is one such example.

SAD does not appear to be in a comfortable position in the electoral battle of Punjab. At such a time, this series is giving sleepless nights to the Badals. Hats off to the newspaper for exposing their misdeeds.

I pray that good sense prevails upon our politicians and they start working for the uplift of the poor and nation.

Dhiraj Trikha, Bhiwani

Biased approach

I have been reading The Tribune for long, but these days I have to read other newspapers to check the facts or news reported by the paper on Punjab. This time again, The Tribune has targeted a particular party just three days before the elections.

This biased approach is not good for a reputed media house. Let’s see whether these gimmicks work or not.

Rajwant Singh, via email

Ill-timed, mischievous

Paid or not, I don’t know. But definitely, it is ill-timed, biased and mischievous. The Tribune can’t invoke 133 years of its existence for the mistake. It had earlier also published an article about the Badals’ businesses which was very informative. That is okay in normal times.

However, during election times, the media has to be neutral. Therefore, if SAD has objected to this, it is justified.

Darshan Mankotia, Nurpur (Kangra)

Missing Cong view

This is with reference to The Tribune’s explanation in response to the so-called investigation into Badal and others. How can it justify the investigation’s timing? Some may also consider it as paid news. In a report published in the paper, Salil Desai says that Congress corruption is like a molehill and goes on to argue that Vajpayee did nothing special at the time of Gujarat riots.

May I know what Manmohan Singh did during the Muzzafarnagar riots or Rajiv Gandhi did in the 1984 riots?

I have always read the paper to know the viewpoint of the Congress, but now it is going too far away.