As dirty as it gets

to the editorial ‘Power for power’s sake’ (November 30); ideology in Indian politics had vanished long before the swearing-in of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra. The Congress cannot afford to be out of mind of the voters by remaining out of sight. Diamond cuts diamond. In today’s dirty politics, dirty tricks of opponents can only be countered by dirtier ones. The biggest positive of this alliance would be that the Shiv Sena will have to shun its politics of fanatic regionalism and communalism — a threat to the unity and integrity of the nation.                                             

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HL Sharma, Amritsar

Cheating voters

Ethics in the political arena have no meaning nowadays. Every party wants to make alliances with the aim of grabbing power. This situation needs to be reversed by undertaking urgent reforms. People choose their representatives keeping in mind a party’s ideology and promises. After the election, if the chosen ones change the alliance in the quest for power, it amounts to deceiving the electorate and doing a disservice to democracy. SUBHASH VAiD, NEW DELHI

An experiment in alliance

Apropos ‘Power for power’s sake’ (November 30), parties like the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have abandoned their ideology and played the politics of opportunism. They have shaken hands with the party having a history of vandalism, the Shiv Sena. This is an experiment. Let’s wait for the result.

Om parkash, by mail

Fix existing ones first

Punjab is going to have two new medical colleges in the public sector at SAS Nagar and Kapurthala, in spite of the fact that the government medical colleges at Amritsar and Patiala do not have sufficient faculty and infrastructure. During the tenure of Beant Singh, a medical college was opened at Jalandhar, and later it was handed over to a society. Health services are ailing in the state. District hospitals do not have specialists in radiology, gynaecology, etc. Super-specialists are not available in government medical colleges. The Amarinder government should review its decision to set up new medical colleges. It should first improve the health services at existing medical colleges.

Ajay Bagga, Hoshiarpur

Just ‘RIP’ won’t help

Apropos ‘Vet raped, body burnt; NCW rushes member to T’gana (November 30), nothing will change if we will utter ‘RIP’ for one day for the victim. Only we can change society. A girl’s short outfit is not the reason for this crime, it’s the mentality of the people. The boys should be taught to respect girls. It is vital to change our mindset and promise ourselves that we will not allow anyone around us to commit such heinous crimes.

Simran Ahuja, Yamunanagar

Democracy only for men

No woman is safe in our so-called democratic country. The word ‘democratic’ is only meant for men it seems. For women, ‘democratic’ would mean when the rapist also is burnt alive and suffers the same pain. If the government will not take a strict decision against these rapists, there will be no end to this culture of rape. Panic buttons, free transport service for women, etc., are not enough for the safety of women in this nation where society treats its girls as a sex object.

Isha sharma, Bathinda

Falling GDP

The root cause of the problem in India is unemployment and fewer job opportunities. This will further worsen due to the further fall of GDP (‘GDP growth falls to 4.5%, weakest in 6 yrs’; November 30). Our youth is desperate and wants to leave the country at the earliest. They fear a dark future in this country. It is high time the government gives attention to this problem instead of securing their vote-bank politics. India, like Rome, is also burning everywhere, and people are waiting for their Emperor Nero to awake.

DK WIG, JALANDHAR

Introduce NCC

Apropos the news item ‘State mulls weightage for NCC cadets’ (November 30), this gesture of the Punjab Government will surely go a long way in making the career of thousands of youth, besides guiding them to be disciplined if they join the National Cadet Corps (NCC). There are many schools in border districts, besides in other cities of the state, which do not have the NCC. It is the need of the hour to include the NCC in every school and college to give a direction to the youth, many of whom are turning towards criminal activities and ruining their lives.

Rajesh Chander Bali, by mail

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