It takes the cake!

8226; BJP leaders have objected to government departments and ministries spending money for advertisements congratulating Sonia Gandhi on her 58th birthday. Ironically, it was the BJP which had misused government funds during the 8216;Shining India8217; campaign. However, it cannot be denied that it is improper to waste public money on such ads. The prime minister has already set an illustrious example by ensuring that his photos are not used in government ads while his predecessor, A.B. Vajpayee, did nothing about this! The PM should ban photos of living persons being used for government publicity.

8212; Madhu Agrawal Delhi

Double standards

8226; Babu Joseph8217;s championing of the 8216;legitimate operation of the law of the land8217; is unexceptionable IE, December 9. But not his prevarication of the stand of anguished Hindus. The latter do not say that investigation under the 8216;law of the land8217; is 8216;tantamount to denigration of Indian civilisation8217;. Their point is the single-minded severity of the investigating agency in the case of Kanchi seer is unlike action in cases involving hardcore criminal offenders. Nobody wants to tamper with the supremacy of law. But it should apply equally to others too. For example on the missionaries who get millions of rupees, year after year, into the country on one pretext or the other and spend it on conversion through deceit.

8212; R. Venkatanarayanan New Delhi

State has no religion

8226; Kamala Balachandran8217;s note on bhoomi puja IE, Nov 9 ignores the constitutional mandate. If the state is secular and has no religion, there should not be any religious ceremony at any state/official function. Otherwise, why shouldn8217;t our Parliament commence its sessions with readings from the scriptures.

8212; Syed Shahabuddin New Delhi

Scope for more

8226; This refers to today8217;s editorial, 8216;Jail houses rock8217; IE, Dec 10. All credit must given to the Patna judge for his intervention in sending the Bihar military police to raid all the central prisons in Bihar. However this should not be the end of this intervention. Getting the superintendents transferred is not enough. Punishing all them and other jail officials will send out a clear message, not only to the criminals but their political masters.

8212; Mahabir Urs Mumbai

Going overboard?

8226; I suspect Sucheta Dalal Cheques 038; Balances, IE, Dec 6 goes overboard when she laments: 8220;After all there is no privilege in being an honest tax payer8221;. I fail to understand why anyone should expect special advantages for abiding by the law of the land or even for choosing to become a good human being.

8212; M.C. Arunan Mumbai