Honest portrayal of Singh

It is unfair to arraign Sanjay Baru, author of the book
“The Accidental Prime Minister” on ethical grounds as suggested by S. Nihal Singh (“An incomplete tale”, May 10). He blames Baru for rushing to print when Manmohan Singh was still occupying the PM’s chair and the country was in the midst of a “fierce and contentious election campaign”. He calls it a “kiss-and-tell” book and accuses Baru of cashing in on the secrets he was privy to, being the PM’s media adviser.

I have read the book but not found a word of denigration or disparagement against Manmohan Singh in it. As a matter of fact, it would serve as a testimony of the sincere manner in which Dr Singh discharged the responsibilities of his high office with dignity and dedication. I would say it’s an honest portrayal of Dr Singh caught in the cleft of a dual power structure. He was called upon to steer the ship of the State without being made the master of the control cabin — an unenviable situation in which successes are credited to party president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul and mishaps blamed on Dr Singh. Baru gives inimitable account of the way Dr Singh steadfastly pursued the civil nuclear deal with the USA and brought it to fruition against all odds.

Ram Varma, Panchkula

God vs religion

Apropos the article “Keep God out of electoral battle” by Justice Rajinder Sachar (May 2), we should not confuse God with religion. The two are different. The writer has also referred to Modi’s statement about Maa Ganga having called him. There is a common belief both among Hindus and Muslims that the pilgrimage to a holy place is possible only when the devotees receive a ‘bulawa’ (call).

As regards the news item, “In Faizabad, Modi invokes Lord Ram to woo voters” (May 6), making an appeal to one’s religious feelings in not permitted during the elections, but invoking God is different. And referring to Ram Rajya is not even invoking God, it only means good governance, as it prevailed in Ram’s kingdom.

While the views of an individual need not be neutral, the press has to be impartial. When the fairness of a newspaper comes under question, as seen lately, it hurts the trust of the readers.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), Jalandhar

Grain bowl good

The report “More grain than bowl can hold” (May 11) describes the post-harvest foodgrain management in Punjab from the preservation point of view. It states that from 2008 to 2011, 666 MT of wheat stock suffered damage in Punjab State Warehousing Corporation. Having retired as technical officer from the PSWC, I want to clarify that the said damage for the time period is the minimal seen in the larger perspective of the mammoth multi-task of procurement, storage, warehousing and containerisation done by it. The PSWC has been held in bad light by stating that “poor management of PSWC also resulted in the damage of 666MT.” The entire covered capacity of the PSWC is utilised by rice storage while wheat stocks are held under CAP.

Regarding treatment, being a specialised preservation agency, the PSWC remains alive to this vital aspect and carries on all timely disinfestations and treatments in covered and open conditions and its supervisory staff at different levels ensure foolproof upkeep. It is only due to a prolonged storage period at low-level kutcha surfaces or flood-prone areas that the stocks suffer deterioration, but this is beyond human control.

While the FCI gives preference to its own stocks for speedy dispatches, the open wheat stocks of state agencies rot under the vagaries of nature. The FCI should see that damage-prone stocks are moved out at once, irrespective of agencies, as every state agency is engaged in procurement activity on behalf of the government.

Gurmit Singh Saini, via email

CEC a Cong stooge?

The Election Commission of India cannot be equated to an umpire in a democracy. At best, the Office of the President may be so. The editorial “Why target the umpire?” (May 10) strengthens the view that The Tribune is pro-Congress. Firstly, can you stop TV channels from broadcasting an event taking place on polling day? Secondly, the ECI ordered the filing of an FIR when Modi showed a finger with the BJP sign, but when Rahul Gandhi inspected an EVM where a voter was present in the voting area, it keeps quiet. Thirdly, Rahul’s remark of 22,000 deaths in the case of the BJP coming to power is a serious statement and made to scare a certain group of people. It is anti-national. But the ECI is mum on the issue. The CEC is paying back his due to the Congress for his appointment. He is a stooge of the Congress.

Darshan Mankotia, Kandwal (Kangra)

Golden Tambe

Pravin Tambe, the 42-year-old spinning guile from Mumbai, has literally taken this year’s IPL by storm. With prize wickets under his belt, he is a nightmare to opponent batsmen. It is ironical that the wily legspinner has no official domestic cricketing experience. It must be a huge embarrassment to the Mumbai cricket bosses. There is no dearth of talent in our country, but due to favouritism and regionalism, many extraordinarily talented sportmen don’t get a chance to prove themselves.