Theatre of the absurd

Apropos of ‘Marriage of convenience’ (Nous Indica); West Bengal is turning into a theatre of the absurd. Casteism and communalism, by way of either appeasement or design, or both, have come to the fore, where pre-poll and even post-poll alliances will disregard ideological considerations. The Congress and the Left are dying and crying out in the wilderness, while the BJP is going all out to topple the TMC through turncoats. Anarchy and violence in the name of ‘poriborton’ are threatening India’s rich diversity of language, caste, religion, culture and geography. Sheer opportunism has made inroads into Indian polity, and ethics in politics stand compromised.

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Abhimanyu Malik, Jind

Coming together, for now

Reference to ‘Marriage of convenience’ (Nous Indica); such marriages are often short-lived, though easily consummated. Our Constitution provides for enough guarantees and safeguards against interference of personal faiths and beliefs in polity, but insertion of ‘secular’ in 1973 in the Preamble smacked of minority appeasement, and an equal and opposite reaction later was a corollary. Communal politics dominates elections. Judicial activism at the highest level and a TN Seshan at the helm in the ECI, can stem the rot. India boasts of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ at the international fora and should employ that spirit at home, too.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Flouting Covid protocol

It was shocking that spectators who came to watch the T20 cricket match between India and England at the Ahmedabad stadium indulged in blatant violation of Covid-19 safety norms. There was zero compliance regarding the maintenance of physical distance and majority of them were not wearing masks. Criminal proceedings should be initiated against the organisers for putting so many lives at risk. The state is already in the grip of surging fresh cases and such kind of gross violation at a huge public gathering cannot be overlooked.

JAGDISH CHANDER, JALANDHAR

Far from free

India getting dropped from a ‘free’ to a ‘partly free’ in the freedom index is worrisome (‘The truth has a price’). India’s score in this report has dropped consistently since 2017 when it scored 77. The authoritarian regime in the country has been misusing power to silence its critics, which is against the very spirit of a democracy. Voices of dissent in the country are labelled as seditious and any international criticism is labelled as a conspiracy. There is another perturbing aspect — the report has granted two out of four points for independence of Indian judiciary. It refers to the recent pro-government rulings and the appointment of a retired Chief Justice to the upper House of Parliament. Our institutions stand up and speak against undemocratic activities and rejuvenate our battered and divided nation.

Aaditya Singh, by mail

Incentivising production

The writer may be correct in saying that the scheme is to increase domestic production and reduce imports, but it is a fact that the net effect of reduction of imports and increase of exports is the same on the balance of payments position (‘Jury’s out on production-linked incentive scheme’). Rather increased domestic production will contribute more towards GDP growth and employment creation. Regarding issues related to land, labour, electricity and legal system, a comparison with other countries may not be logical for participating in the PLI scheme. Entrepreneurs and big houses must participate in a big way to avail the benefits of the scheme.

Ashok Gupta, Ludhiana

For society’s sake

With reference to ‘Keeping couples safe’, the high number of cases throw a light on how rigid our society can be when it comes to norms. Corruption and other evils could have been reduced significantly if people had the same dedication to laws and structure. If families could go to such extent to threaten their own children, what kindness can they have for those not their family? Are we living in an unkind society, where you either live by society rules or are threatened to death?

Vandita Jain, Ludhiana

She shoots, she scores!

Apropos of ‘Mithali inspires’, Mithali and her ilk in different sports are doing a great service to the nation by inspiring girls to take up sport. Kudos to Mithali Raj for having joined England’s Charlotte Edwards in a prestigious club. Her performance has been precise and priceless. She has become a source of inspiration for those daughters of the nation who intend to pursue cricket as a passion and profession. Since long, the BCCI is considered as a male-centric organisation, but now with an exemplary performance, Mithali Raj has changed the definition.

Yugal Kishore Sharma, Faridabad

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