Fuelling hatred

Refer to ‘Alarming indoctrination’; there seems to be a competition among leaders of various communities to see who can drive a wedge in communal harmony. Violent slogans are encouraged off-camera, while peace is preached for TV broadcast. The action by law enforcing agencies should be prompt and balanced to thwart the designs of anti-social elements. Spreading hate and violence is in nobody’s interest. Such steps are regressive. Indoctrination of youth by radical elements affects the unity among people belonging to diverse cultures and faiths. Communities must work together to root out any endeavour which pushes them apart.

Subhash Vaid, by mail

Not a brave act

Refer to ‘The sacrifice in Narrahee’ (The Sunday Tribune); killing women fearing their abduction by raiders was not a sacrifice, but a cowardly act. It was unpardonable, more so because it was perpetrated amid the recitation of Gurbani. They, along with their women, should have put up a brave fight. If they had died fighting, it would have been a valiant death. Sikhs are known warriors. We too faced a similar situation. All Hindus and Sikhs of the village got together and fought a pitched battle. Our women joined us. We suffered some casualties, but inflicted many more and kept them at bay till force arrived and evacuated us to a camp at Sargodha.

WG CDR CL SEHGAL (RETD), JALANDHAR

Road inspection teams

Refer to ‘Pothole accidents’; potholes are a major cause of accidents on highways, besides rash driving. Dadarao Bilhore’s mission proves that filling potholes does not require a big budget but a small vehicle with a mix of material. Highways, whether state or national, should have regular inspection teams. The traffic police should also be given a free hand to stop violations.

OP GARG, PATIALA

Non-Gandhi chief

Refer to ‘Rahul reluctant, hunt on for non-Gandhi Cong chief’; sooner the better if a non-Gandhi Congress chief is elected to fill the vacuum and save the party, which otherwise seems to be losing ground across India. An energetic younger leader should be chosen to instil vigour in the party and enable it to regain lost ground. A strong Opposition is a must for a vibrant democracy and to save it from degeneration.

ROOP SINGH NEGI, Solan

Berating Nehru

As the first PM, and with sagacity and pioneering leadership, Nehru provided political stability and built umpteen independent institutions, such as the Election and Planning Commissions, IITs, AIIMS, CSIR, and Bhakra Dam (‘Why Nehru-bashing industry is prospering’). He was the architect of non-alignment as India’s foreign policy, and stood for pluralism and composite ancient culture tempered by modern scientific temper. And because of this, he is the bete noire of the powers that be. For them, he is not a freedom fighter and a democrat, but a dynast who contributed little for national development. Nehru-bashing pays political dividends to the ruling class by polarising society.

Prem Singh Dahiya, Rohtak

PM must break silence

The question in the mind of the janta today is, when will Prime Minister Modi break his silence on the release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case? A minister even called them Brahmins and thus sanskari. Every time, long speeches are not required. In a democratic setup, the ruling party is answerable to public sentiments. During the past eight years as PM, he has never held a press conference.

Bhupinder Kochhar, Panchkula

Vocational training

Reference to ‘Classrooms for jail inmates soon’; since majority of inmates are illiterate, they should be trained in vocational trades like carpentry, cookery, electric repairs, masonry, hair-cutting etc, depending on their aptitude, so that they may become earning hands and responsible citizens. Others who wish to pursue academic courses may be supported accordingly.

PK Keshap, by mail

Pension arrears

True to its promise, the AAP government in Punjab has started giving free electricity of 300 units/month to consumers, but it has forgotten pensioners. A few days before the elections in February, the outgoing ministry approved revised pay and pension, but kept mum on the arrears from January 2016 to December 2021. The present government has not issued any approval. We often hear about a fund crunch. Are we supposed to wait till the next election? The government should first pay the arrears to senior citizens aged 80 or above. They are few in number and their health needs are more. The desire to receive arrears in their lifetime is only natural.

Sudarshan K Raswant, Faridabad

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