Bell this cat

Be responsible

• Let the law decide the Shankaracharya’s fate. The BJP must not disturb the peace by inflaming communal tensions over this issue. The party must have a positive attitude and behave responsibly.

— Ivan Christopher On e-mail

VIP and law

• BJP leaders have complained to the president that the Kanchi Shankaracharya is being treated as a convicted person. The leaders have also asked for “suitable guidelines” for dealing with religious personalities in incarceration. In India, we have developed a convention of giving a special treatment to selected persons. The notion of the “Very Important Person” differentiates and discriminates between citizens of India. Article 14 of our Constitution explicitly provides ‘‘Equality before the law And equal protection of the law”. If we recommend and support this fundamental human right, why do we expect certain persons to be treated as VIP or VVIP?

— Divyesh Raythatha Dover

The left-outs

• Apropos of your editorial ‘Under a divided sun’ (IE, November 20), yet another demographic change is expected with the McKenzie Plan being debated by the Planning Commission this month. This plan envisages block-by-block redevelopment of the city with new highrise residential apartments and commercial towers, opening of existing state hospitals to private participation. Of course, little is promised for the million of Mumbaikars who trudge to and from their workplaces in sub-human conditions in crowded suburban trains from far off places. They should be satisfied with the dream of the underground rail from Bandra to Colaba — serving mostly the city elite and some east-west road corridors increasing motorists. Thus, there is going to be a frenzy of construction activity but in places where the bulk of the people will not
be touched.

— S. Subramanyan Mumbai

Call the bluff

• Allow the Hurriyat to visit Pakistan and call their bluff. Tell Pakistan that they have no locus standi on the issue. If they revert to the demand of plebiscite, the Indians can tell them to go fishing.

— G. Sriniwasan Adelaide

What arson?

• The way all witnesses are turning hostile in the Best Bakery case, we should not be surprised if Zaheera Sheikh now tells the judge that she was not even in Vadodara on the night of the arson and murder.

— R.P. Desai on e-mail