Opinion Letters to the editor:Iraq crisis

This refers to the editorial ‘Taking aim at Baghdad’ (IE, June 14). The Iraq imbroglio portends bad days for the country. Unless the crisis is quickly defused, which appears unlikely given the situation on the ground, the Middle East may become a simmering cauldron bearing serious threats to global peace and stability. It would be a throwback to the scenario created by the US invasion in 2003. The foremost duty of the Iraqi government should be to broaden the rule of the Shia majority, by winning the confidence of the Kurds and eschewing the policy of isolating the Sunni minority, which has polarised this fragile nation. The crisis could be halted if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rises to the occasion to inspire confidenc­e among all people. The growth and expansion of the ISIS in Iraq is a result of isolating the Sunnis. International intervention would only heighten tensions and Iran may jump into the fray, as well as Syria.
— Parthasarathy Sen
New Delhi

Mind your language
It is unfortunate that, less than a month after being sworn in as prime minister, Narendra Modi has got his priorities wrong. He seems to be attempting to divide India on linguistic grounds (‘DMK slams NDA govt for “imposing” Hindi on people’, IE, June 20). Our founding fathers made it amply clear in the Constitution that India had two official languages, Hindi and English, and 14 national languages (subsequently raised to 22). Nowhere does the Constitution give Hindi precedence over English. The government directive that official correspondence and communication on social media be in Hindi violates this. Tamil Nadu, where anti-Hindi sentiments have prevailed for decades, is the first to raise alarm. Tamil may be an old and rich language, but J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi cannot object to the directive on those grounds alone. A vast majority communicate mainly in English. Promotion of Hindi may be a welcome move, but not at the expense of English.
— J.P. George
Pune

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The NDA government’s decision to maximise the use of Hindi on social ­media sounds very patriotic, but in practice, the decision is flawed. First, social media users in India are mostly from the younger generation, which is more comfortable in English than in Hindi. Second, it will also be difficul­t for government officials or employees to implement the order. There are bound to be technical problems.
— Anshul Mittal
Mansa

Warped steel frame
This refers to the column, ‘On their own trip’ (IE, June 20). The less-than-impeccable behaviour of our senior bureaucrat­s has been a trend that has grown over the decades. The impulse to travel abroad for leisure, using taxpayers’ money, is serious cause of concern. These officers must be accountable to ministers and to the
prime minister.
— Gaurav Tripathi
Delhi