Centralisation not good for MEA

Apropos of the article ‘Centralised setup weighing down MEA’; centralisation is never regarded as a good phenomenon in an administrative setup of a democratic country. The writer has revealed an important flaw in the Ministry of External Affairs and the concentration of important assignments and diplomatic jobs in the hands of the Foreign Secretary and the minister. But we must not forget that S Jaishankar has played an important part in the success of PM Modi’s foreign policy. He has also been instrumental in revamping and reorganising the ministry with additional secretaries who were made heads of clusters for better synergy. The External Publicity Department has been reorganised for better communication. For equitable division of work and to reduce the burden of the External Affairs Minister, two more ministers of state have been appointed.

Vinay Kumar Malhotra, Ambala Cantt

Ensure housing before demolition

Apropos of ‘SC to lay down guidelines to stop bulldozer justice’; it is inhuman to demolish a structure and force women, children and elders to suffer the vagaries. In such cases, people should be provided accommodation under the Indira Awas Yojana, now known as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, along with basic necessities. The SC guidelines should be for all citizens, irrespective of their caste, community, etc. Each district should have a team to identify encroachments and ensure that encroachers get proper housing facilities before any step is taken to demolish their houses. The guidelines should also list initiatives to prevent encroachments in the first place.

Subhash Vaid, New Delhi

Democratic process under threat

With reference to ‘Bidding for power’; I am yet to find a politician who sincerely, honestly and wholeheartedly devotes himself for the welfare of the people. There is no doubt that whosoever bids for power is sure to indulge in corruption, if elected. Many politicians have been found to have accumulated wealth by indulging in corrupt practices. This practice of bidding for power has exposed their misdeeds. By bidding for Rs 2 crore for the position of a sarpanch, the democratic process is under threat. The government should immediately take action and thwart such moves.

Kailash Garg, Chandigarh

Power of money

With reference to ‘Bidding for power’; the auctioning of the post of sarpanch in Gurdaspur’s Hardowal Kalan village is a blatant violation of democratic principles. This is neither a hidden process nor a legal way to elect a representative but such practices have been reported in many places. Once the winning bid is in, challengers from other parties pull out of the electoral race, as was the case of the BJP’s Surat candidate Mukesh Dalal, who won the Lok Sabha poll unopposed after all his rivals withdrew their nominations earlier this year. This issue points to deeper problems in politics, such as the influence of money and power over elections.

Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai

Failure of global powers

It’s unfortunate that the ongoing conflict in West Asia has escalated to war between Iran and Israel. Israel’s retaliation against the Hamas attack one year ago has not ended with the Gaza war but spread to Lebanon, ultimately leading to the present situation. This is a sign of failure of the global powers. The explicit support of America to Israel and helplessness of the UN are quite evident in worsening of the crisis. Now, the world has to bear the brunt in the form of disruption of trade via the Red Sea and grave consequences of the war. It’s high time global powers took steps to control the situation.

DVG Sankara Rao, vizianagaram

Involvement in policymaking

Refer to ‘Wangchuk, activists to go on hunger strike’; the detention of the well-known climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk along with 150 supporters is a blot on Indian democracy. The march from Ladakh was peaceful, but they were stopped by the Delhi Police so that they would not get national attention. Their demands are legitimate as they want constitutional rights and environmental protection for Ladakh. The government has not learnt any lesson from ecological disasters in hill states. Rather than ignoring their demands, the government should involve them in policymaking to protect the fragile ecology of the Himalayas.

Gaurav Kochhar, Yamunanagar

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