Not a political issue

Refer to ‘BKU: Protesters meant no harm to PM Modi’; it is good that there was no intention to harm the PM. But the real question is the failure of law enforcement agencies to provide smooth passage to the PM’s convoy. Nobody is questioning the protesting farmers, but the breach in security in VVIP movement of the head of a country is serious — anti-social elements could take advantage of the situation by mixing among the protesters to embarrass the country, when the IB had warned of possible trouble to the state government in advance. The blunder needs to be probed and accountability must be fixed to avoid any unfortunate happening in future. Taking political mileage from this incident by politicians, both in power and the Opposition, should be avoided.

Ashok Kumar, by mail

Fix accountability

Reference to the PM’s security breach; the matter should be above party politics. The PM’s security breach in Punjab needs to be urgently probed and accountability fixed. That it has happened in spite of the elaborate and multi-layered protocols involving Central agencies, the SPG and state police underlines the gravity of the situation. It is disturbing that BJP leaders, from Home Minister Amit Shah to party spokespersons, have sought to paint the lapse as a conspiracy by the state government. This speaks of the terrible breakdown of trust between the Centre and the state, between the BJP and the Congress, which is wrong in a multi-party democracy. It is in BJP’s own interest that it reins in the rhetoric. But the Channi government must also ensure that accountability is visibly fixed for the lapse. It must act against those who failed to secure the PM’s route.

LAL SINGH, Amritsar

Sops for votes

Apropos of ‘Economy of freebie politics’; with a rapidly increasing population, it is difficult for the government to frame a firm policy to provide employment to all needy. Even agriculture, education, health, industrial sectors are not managed properly. Since decent livelihood opportunities are not created, especially for the poor due to weak policies, the course of freebies and subsidies is resorted to. In a democracy, all parties plan to compensate the poor by way of providing freebies to draw votes. Thus a large chunk of revenue goes in the unproductive expenditure and hinders progress. The emphasis should be on education, imparting skills, developing entrepreneurship and creating appropriate mechanisms for the youth to earn a living in a dignified manner. Undesirable financial support to corporate houses should be stopped.

Subhash Vaid, New Delhi

NEET counselling

After wasting precious three months of thousands of NEET-PG aspirants, the Centre will start counselling soon with existing criteria (‘NEET-PG: Nod to counselling, SC upholds quota’). The result was declared at the end of September 2021. Strikes by resident doctors across the country made the authorities realise the urgent need of starting the PG admission process. It is not any individual’s loss but an irreparable loss to the nation.

Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana

Judicial bias

‘A glimpse of what lies beneath judicial decisions’ highlights a jurisprudential insight that a judicial decision is largely influenced by attitudinal or behavioural moorings of a judge. Eminent jurist OW Holmes calls it the ‘inarticulate major premise’, revealing predilections or non-legal factors that influence judges’ decisions in their adjudication of disputes. The recent spate of public interest litigations demonstrates judicial activism reflecting the sensitisation of judiciary to social malaise, acts of omission of the executive, transcending of functions by the legislature. In this regard, its degree would again depend upon the predilections of the judges hearing such issues. The spectrum of political ideology and attitudes categorises judges as liberal, activist, conservative or between them. Accordingly, a decision rendered by a judge cannot be totally objective, per se, as non-legal factors are likely to affect it.

Gurpreet Singh, Mohali

Uttarakhand acts wisely

Refer to ‘Poll-bound Uttarakhand bans political rallies till Jan 16’, it was nice to learn that the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary has issued fresh guidelines banning all political rallies, dharnas, demonstrations and public events, like cultural gatherings, effective from Sunday, amid the huge rise in Covid cases. Significantly, all such activities would remain suspended in the state till January 16. All other poll-bound state governments should follow suit, as a stitch in time saves nine.

Kumar Gupt, Panchkula

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