Freedom to follow any religion

Apropos of ‘Our ethos is socialist, secular for sure’; intellectuals and learned people from the pre- and post-Independence era studied various Constitutions and systems of governance to produce a perfect document, the Constitution of India. People have complete freedom to practise their religion and rituals; even atheists are free not to follow any religion. An Urdu couplet precisely sums up my feelings about the current situation, “Hum ne kab kaha hae ibbadat naa kee jeeae, hum ne to yeh kaha hae tajarat na kee jeeae”. (When have we said that one should live without worshipping; we have only said that one should not make a business out of it).

BM Singh, Amritsar

Neutrality should be the hallmark

With reference to ‘EC’s Bihar voter list revision rekindles citizenship concerns’, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar has courted controversy for the right reasons. Door-to-door verification of around eight crore electors, within a month’s time, is impossible. The Opposition was not consulted before taking a call on the issue. The hastily taken measure betrays the ECI’s bias towards the powers that be at the Centre. This lends weight to the allegation that whenever the ruling dispensation apprehends defeat, the ECI comes to its rescue and helps it win elections. Neutrality, which should be the hallmark of the ECI, appears to be martyred at the altar of power politics.

Tharcius S Fernando, Chennai

Desperate to win votes

Apropos of ‘Cousins reunite’; the Thackerays are exploiting people’s sentiments to revive their fortunes in the impending civic body polls. But the pushback against the Mahayuti dispensation is too tough a task to be achieved by the beleaguered parties led by the cousins. Nearer home, when will the Badal cousins — Sukhbir and Manpreet — bury the hatchet to redeem lost ground, even as radicals are trying to woo Panthic voters in Punjab?

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Goonda raj is anti-national

Thrashing of Hindi-speaking people in Mumbai by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supporters is a matter of serious concern. Hindi is an official language of India. People working for a living in other states are being forced to speak a regional language, despite Hindi being widely spoken and understood by the majority of the people. Earlier too, Bihari workers were beaten up in Mumbai, forcing them to leave their place of work. Is it the India of our dreams? These political goons are upending the integrity and democratic character of the country. How would the Marathi-speaking people feel if they are meted out the same treatment in other states? The wrongdoers must be prosecuted so that no one dares to indulge in such anti-national activities.

Karnail Singh, Kharar

Defeating the purpose of unity

Apropos of ‘BRICS slams Pahalgam, but doesn’t call out Pak’; the double standards of BRICS came to the fore at its summit in Brazil when it condemned the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack but stopped short of naming and shaming Pakistan. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Quad and now BRICS — all have refrained from pointing a finger at Pakistan. These groupings have been formed to promote unity among members and protect their interests. Partiality defeats that purpose.

Upendra Sharma, by mail

Silence due to social stigma

With reference to ‘The silent virus’; the increasing frequency and complexity of cyber frauds call for urgent attention. However, one disturbing form of cyber fraud that continues to remain in the shadows due to social stigma is sextortion. This scam thrives on shame and silence. Gullible men are lured by women scamsters through WhatsApp. Fearing ridicule, victims rarely files a complaint. Law enforcement agencies must create secure, anonymous redressal channels.

harsh Pawaria, Rohtak