Fleecing the farmer

The editorial ‘A shot in the foot’ (June 8) reflects the folly of the administration. Dialogue and consideration are the key words. Since the agrarian sector has to face many hardships and feeds the rest of the economy, it should not be discriminated against. Medium and large-scale industry enjoys government blessing in the form of free land, quick and low-interest finance, subsidies and incentives. NPAs amount to thousands of crores, but rarely does one hear of an industrialist committing suicide. It is unfortunate that moneylenders and arhtiyas exploit our farmers at will. Private buyers, mostly millers, hoarders and traders are in collusion with government agencies regarding the limit of maximum pricing to be offered  — this is the unkindest cut of all.  

Gurnam singh Seetal, Khanna

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Why not introspect? 

The letter to the Editor by Raveen Thukral, media adviser to the CM Punjab, is eyewash and of no substance. An ordinary citizen of the state wants to know how four close associates of Rana Gurjit could muster that kind of money for the bid. The media is doing its job otherwise it would have been swept under the carpet by the so-called ‘clean’ government. I do not find any difference between the Akalis and the Congressmen as far as corruption, lawlessness, gang culture, political interference in bureaucracy/police, safety of women, suicide by farmers and drug manifestation is concerned. Raveenji, please introspect before penning your thoughts. 

Col Jaspal Singh (Retd), Ludhiana

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Going back in time 

Refer to RK Kaushik’s ‘Plan that went awry’ (June 3); I wish to submit some facts that are not in public memory, but are significant. Parliamentarian-historian Prof MN Das in his book, Fateful Events of 1947, states that Sarat Chandra Bose, elder brother of Subhas Chandra Bose, Kiran Chander Roy, JN Mondal and HS Suhrawardi tried to keep Bengal united and independent. Sarat declared that Bengal would be a socialist republic, which scared Mountbatten so much that he ensured that Bengal was divided. In Punjab too, the unionist party government led by Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana and Congress leader Gopi Chand Bhargava tried to keep Punjab united. But their plan was defeated by the Muslim League led by Jinnah, and Master Tara Singh who ripped apart the Muslim League flag. In NWFP, the Congress led by Dr Khan Sahib, brother of Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, had to pass a resolution in favour of joining India or being independent, but Mountbatten saw to it that the referendum was held under Jinnah’s pressure. By a 50.46% vote it joined Pakistan. 

Chaman Lal, New Delhi

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Joy of reading 

The article ‘Turning the page’ (Spectrum, June 4) by Eesha Duggal took me down memory lane. My love for books started early in life. I was so fascinated with Tagore’s Gitanjali that I named my daughter after it. In Class VIII, I got a book as prize on Thomas Edison. The price was Re 1. It is a valuable possession even today. Another habit with me is reading The Tribune since middle class. It is no less than a book being read on a daily basis. Today, being a senior citizen, old books and the daily paper are my constant companions. I relish their company very much; it keeps me in high spirits.

Devinder Garg, Chandigarh

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Make Paonta police dist 

Reference to the report ‘Punjab gangsters fire at cop in Paonta Sahib, flee’ (June 8), it seems the warning of the Punjab Police team fell flat on the ears of the local police. When it was specifically informed about the gangsters heading towards Paonta in a white Scorpio, how is it that the police did not instantly seal the exit and entry points? Why was an armed police squad not alerted to face the armed gangsters? How could an unarmed constable stop them? The distance between the Yamuna ghat and  Behral barriers is over 10 km and the vehicle could have been easily intercepted. In view of the rising cases of robbery, theft, murder and rape, there is need to gear up the law-enforcing mechanism in the area. To save Paonta from becoming a sanctuary for criminals, the government should consider upgrading Paonta to a police district.

RM Ramaul, Paonta Sahib

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March on 

The middle ‘Step by step to the top’ by SS Grewal (June 8) is a call to all hard working and ambitious persons to arrive in life, even though at a later stage. Many times, one has to settle for a low-paying job or forego the prospects of greener pastures due to compelling circumstances. But one can always try and achieve the desired goals later in life. This will help in career progression and also make life more meaningful. I had never even run a short race, but on turning 45, planned to give it a shot and won the second prize in the Jamnagar half marathon. Generally, we consider situations to be unfathomable and leave it all to our destiny. But we need to carry on with the pursuit of a better life. Like Vivekanand said, ‘Arise, awake and stop not until the goal is reached.’ 

Bhushan Chander Jindal, Gujarat

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Mind over age 

With regard to the middle ‘Ageing with those you love’ (June 7) by Mahesh Grover, I am in the 88th year of my life and venture to corroborate that the brain does not age with age, but with disuse. Immersed in scribing the history of revolutionary movements in India, I do not experience any dilution of my modest mental faculties.

MalwinderJit S Waraich, Panchkula

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Gandhiji and the cow 

The cow protection movement in India dates back to the last quarter of the 19th century. The first movement was led by Namdhari Sikhs and Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Of particular interest are the observations of Gandhiji —  ‘The central fact of Hinduism is cow protection’. He revered the cow. ‘I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world’. Cow slaughter for Gandhiji was an ‘intolerable moral affront to Indian Hindus’. Cow protection was not regarded as an anti-Muslim phenomenon. His support to the Khilafat movement was predicated on his expectation of a reciprocal gesture by Muslims for cow protection — ‘In laying down my life for Khilafat, I ensure safety of the cow from the Musalman’s knife’, he asserted. His response to the two-nation theory was similar to the RSS position today. ‘I find no parallel in history for a body of converts and their descendants claiming to be a nation apart from the parent stock’. The idea of India, hence, is not static or immutable. It continues to change and can’t be put in the straitjacket of any particular ideology. 

Kastinder Johar, Palampur

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Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]