Silence uncalled for

The sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple is condemnable. But the silence on the crime — lynching of the suspect — is uncalled for. The religious and political leadership have denounced the attempt and called for a thorough probe. But disturbingly, they have offered no words of condemnation on those who clearly took the law into their hands and beat the accused to death. This silence is not incidental. With elections only weeks away, parties and leaders are measuring their words on an issue that is seen to be emotive in a state where religion segues into politics in a seamless, and sometimes, precarious ways.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru

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No hatred, please

Every religion talks about peace, love and harmony. No religion teaches hatred. To express faith in God, one shouldn’t resort to killing people who commit some mistake at their place of worship. No one has the right to kill a person. Followers of any faith should not take law into their hands, as religion never teaches one to kill those who disrespect religious sentiments.

Ritish Pandit, by mail

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Lynching wrong

We can’t but take strong exception to the incidents of lynching within holy places in the name of sacrilege. Newspapers are replete with strong condemnation of sacrilege, but who has spoken even a word against the two killings by the mob? We must have an exclusive law against lynching. If you can’t identify the accused, this doesn’t mean the case be shut and closed. Two wrongs don’t make a right. If sacrilege is wrong, lynching is equally wrong.

Rakesh Sudan, Kurukshetra

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Change of guard

Apropos of ‘In search of an Opposition’(Nous Indica), much is being talked or written about the probable alternative to the present dispensation. It is indicative of the people’s wish, though not very vocal yet, for a change. Whenever there has been an assertion of secular identities, it is countered by the right-wing parties with hyper religiosity to create a larger vote bank which aims to submerge or assimilate the caste identities. Because of the year-long farmers’ agitation, the peasants started consolidating into a political block. As a counter balance, in the run-up to the UP elections, a great show of religiosity at Kashi and Ayodhya has been launched. The Indian masses are looking towards their political leaders to renounce their self-interest or egos for the sake of a secular, democratic alternative alliance. The issue of prime ministership can be resolved post-elections.

Chandvir Hooda, Panchkula

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Role of Congress

Reference to ‘In search of an Opposition’, the Congress is the only national party which can act as an effective Opposition. But it can only be possible if it sets its house in order and prepares to form a dynamic coalition. It must win over the estranged colleagues. It must value the constructive criticism of its members for a change of the high command and not treat them as rebels. If the Congress does not change its political strategy, it cannot emerge to win the 2024 General Election as a major party or even offer a strong opposition.

Krishan Malhotra, Ambala Cantt

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Masking up important

The warning by WHO and Centre over drop in mask usage and subsequent infection dangers comes amid the Omicron variant being detected even in those with no history of foreign travel and also in fully vaccinated persons. The upcoming holiday season and the multi-state Assembly elections pose a bigger threat. While vaccination has been proven to reduce disease severity, there’s no viable method other than masking to curb infections. According to the data, India’s mask usage has slipped to 59 per cent at present, after touching 80 per cent in April-May in response to the second wave surge. Indians need to follow Japan and South Korea, where over 92 per cent citizens adhere to masking norms. India needs masking because of its population size and density. Consequently, a surge-like situation also implies a tsunami of cases potentially overburdening healthcare facilities.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

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Legal age for marriage

As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Likewise, raising the age of marriage for women to 21 years is only in letter and not in spirit. Furthermore, the prevailing laws have failed to serve their purpose. Child marriage is prevalent in the hinterland. Awareness about women’s reproductive health and encouraging them to pursue their career are the key to preventing early marriages. Also, laws should be enforced stringently so that these serve as a deterrent.

Aanya Singhal, Noida

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