Letters To The Editor

— Ved Guliani, Hisar

Story of island

• I fail to understand if a small country like Sri Lanka can forcefully retaliate the attacks of its anti-Sri Lankan terrorists called LTTE, why can’t a big country like India do so to Pakistan-sponsored terrorists? What holds us back from going after the terrorists in their hideouts and training camps in PoK? On June 20 Sonia Gandhi is going to open one more ‘gate’ for the Pak sponsored terrorists (between Punch and Ravalkot). This will further encourage influx of drugs, fake notes, weapons, explosives.

— Hansraj Bhat, Mumbai

Share of confusion

• Confusion has resulted from a recent circular of the Central Board of Direct Taxes on guidelines to the assessing officer for determining whether a person having share transactions in the stock market should be treated as a trader or as an investor. The parameters suggested in the CBDT circular leave room for use of discretion by the assessing officer in favour of the Revenue. I suggest the IT law be suitably amended to provide for a deeming provision under Section 28 of the Income Tax Act that the income from share transactions in the case of companies and firms would be considered that of a trader, not of an investor. For individuals and HUFs, the income from share transactions should be considered as on investment account liable to tax under capital gains unless in the books of account a person treats himself as a trader in shares. The CBDT could issue a circular to this effect.

— R.N. Lakhotia, New Delhi

Work for Arjun

• The report, ‘Vajpayee is OBC, so are Arjun Singh, Karat and Rajnath’ (IE, June 18), makes revealing reading. So one can become an OBC paying a small ‘fee’ of Rs 200 to 500 and enjoy all benefits. Thus, Vajpayee is an Ahir, Arjun Singh is a Faizabadi Ahir and a Kanpuri Kahar, Karat is a Luckhnavi Garadia, and Rajnath Singh is a Kurmi. So among the OBCs there are two sub-classes — the ethnic OBCs, and the hybrid OBCs. Such certificates can be obtained in a day and without any documentary evidence or interview, just by paying the ‘fee’ to a tout. Now Arjun Singh (an OBC, going by these papers issued by UP districts authorities) should work on reservation for ethnic non-OBCs.

— F.S.K. Barar, Jodhpur

Nature knows

• The suicide by lady Army officer Sushmita Chakraborty once again proves that all jobs are not suitable for women. Nature has given different roles to male and female. Many jobs like armed forces, police, fire department, truck driving, space missions are not for women. Those women who defy nature’s law and start doing very hard work meant for males only, soon pay a heavy price in the form of many ailments. We do not see any lady surgeons doing complex, risky operations. Similarly space missions with women on board have ended in disasters.

— Sudhir K. Bhave, New Delhi