Letters To The Editor

Wishing UPA luck8226; The completion of two years in office for the UPA government could not have come at a worse time. Its image has taken...

Wishing UPA luck

8226; The completion of two years in office for the UPA government could not have come at a worse time. Its image has taken a battering over the reservation issue with the HRD minister favouring caste over merit. The stock market has plummeted, making the finance minister eat his words about a spurt in the economy. The Parliament has passed bills to legitimise the illegal constructions in Delhi and expand the list of offices of profit which the MPs can occupy without fearing disqualification. Continuing terrorist attacks in J038;K and escalating Naxal violence have exposed the weakness of the home ministry. Though the personal rating of the prime minister has gone up, he is believed by a larger number of people to be under Sonia Gandhi8217;s thumb. The government surely needs better luck during its next

year in office.

8212; J.M. Manchanda, New Delhi

8226; On completing two years in power, the UPA government is celebrating and blowing its own trumpet. One does not understand why they celebrate and rejoice. Is it because this coalition government had doubts about its survival at every moment and thus on completing two years, it considers itself a lucky survivor as if these politicians8217; stint in power has got a new lease of life? Will they please face facts and stop gloating ?

8212; S.P. Sharma, Mumbai

Pilot suggestions

8226; Sachin Pilot in in his article, 8216;Cracking the reservation riddle8217; IE, May 22, has suggested practical and thought-provoking ways to put an end to the controversy created by the proposed reservations in institutions of higher learning for members of the OBC. He is right in stressing the need to create enough opportunities to make the quotas irrelevant and ensuring that only the truly needy make use of these reservation opportunities. No right thinking person can afford to disagree with the views of Pilot and the government, of which he is part of, would do well to seriously examine these suggestions in implementing its anxiety to give a leg up to OBCs. That way I think it would avert not only compromising on merit but antagonising the bright young and promising professionals of the country.

8212; Mahesh Arora, New Delhi

Category colleges

8226; The current logjam can be overcome if the government does not disturb the autonomy of existing institutions and starts one major institution, say an IIT, and a major medical college, every few years solely for economically backward students. As the Supreme Court ruled in some earlier cases, there is no justification for extending special provisions to the creamy layer. So the new institutions can cater only to poor students from the OBC category of the population.

8212; P.P. Kane, Mumbai

Mortal end

8226; Mortal End of a Deathless Hero8217; IE, May 21, 2006 by Sugata Bose, the grand son of Subhas Chandra Bose, has exposed the futility of setting up commissions of inquiry and the fact of our politicians fighting over the death of one of Mother India8217;s greatest sons. For DNA test Mukherjee Commission asking Bose to donate 1 ml of blood for a DNA match with one Gumnami Baba was a great insult to Netaji. Bose8217;s pointing out to the commission that 8220;the Commission feels that it must expend its time, energy and public money following up even the most preposterous claims made by cranks or opportunists,8221; was a correct step to save the honour of Netaji. When the family of Netaji had accepted the death of the Netaji in the plane crash, the appeal that 8220;it is time that the people of India came to terms with the mortal end of a deathless hero8221; is germane.

8212; Bidyut K. Chatterjee, Faridabad