Letters to the editor

It has rightly pleaded for the scrapping of MPLADS and MLALADS. With due respect, I may say that these schemes, instead of improving the development of the area, have thrown a bone for which many agencies fight to grab maximum share of their profit rather than concentrate on the project.

8212; Shariq Alavi, Lucknow

Deny, deny, deny

8226; Someone 8212; in fact, everyone 8212; in the government seems to have forgotten Gandhiji8217;s gentle counsel that all currents of thought must blow through this country 8216;Govt brainwave: red 038; green channels for scholars, subjects8217;, IE, February 14.

It is shocking that Fulbright scholars are being denied the right to conduct research in India. And it is absurd and dangerous that the government is playing censor so unrelentingly by denying non-Indian citizens visas to come and participate in seminars in our country. By this the government is retarding thought in this country.

8212; R. Singh, Mumbai

Power of nukes

8226; North Korea8217;s gesture that it is inclined to give up nuclear weapons is welcome, but one thing disturbs 8216;To get aid, come out of the cold, N Korea agrees to disarm nukes8217;, IE, February 14.

Pyongyang, do remember, had defied every entreaty of good behaviour and intentions in its zeal to acquire a nuclear bomb. Now, for financial assistance, it is agreeing to give up that plan. What does this say? What does it tell regimes around the world? That a nuclear weapons programme brings immense bargaining power.

8212; Anita Chaudhuri, New Delhi

Will Sehwag bat?

8226; I refer to 8216;Class of 2003 mainstay for 20078217; IE, February 13. The selectors have taken a big risk by including Sehwag, Pathan and Kumble in the World Cup squad. The selectors clearly hope that Sehwag will get back to form anytime. If at all, Sehwag should be played as an opener and not in the middle order, where he will be totally wasted.

This brings to the fore the all important question. What about the experimentations carried out by Chappell for the last two years? Of course, experimentation was not the problem but that these experimentations did not yield any satisfying options was the main problem. So the problem lay in grooming the youngsters properly. Except for Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel and Sreesanth the experimentations failed to find any bright youngster.

8212; Amjad K. Maruf, Mumbai

365 days for love

8226; It seems quite baffling that we need a special day 8212; that is, Valentine8217;s Day 8212; to express love. As love has no definite boundaries, what is the need of associating it with a particular day?

8212; Saad Ullah Khan, Aligarh