Systemic downslide• In his article, ‘All the president’s voters’ (IE, June 15), Pratap Bhanu Mehta has correctly commented on the presidential election. India’s political system is fragmenting by the day, and a situation may arise when government formation will come to involve bizarre parades before the president. Who is responsible for the impasse: the UPA for proposing the implausible names or the NDA determined to fight for the election of the president? The UPA-Left consensus on Pratibha Patil highlights procedural problems. The system badly needs to be democratised. There are two ways of getting a non-partisan candidate. One way is to get a consensual candidate. Since this is not (always) possible, individual legislators need to be encouraged to vote with their conscience. Which candidate in a free contest would appeal to legislators nationally? In such scenarios, political parties could allow for individual legislators to vote with their individual views. As the system weakens, the president becomes more important. But rather than investing the office with greater seriousness of purpose, political parties seem intent on diminishing it.— Singh Ram, AmbalaNarrow notes• WITH regard to editorial, ‘Rajnath abridged’ (IE, May 27), I may say that, with the present-day set-up the BJP is doomed to face many debacles in the future too. The party has several leaders but no worthy commander. Rajnath Singh seems to be a stop-gap arrangement which has failed. They call themselves nationalistic but have lost their sense of nationalism. The Ram Sethu issue deals with ancient myth; it cannot be an issue that a party looking to the future can adopt. As long as young blood is not inducted into the top leadership, the BJP is going to decline. In fact, all BJP members above the age of 58, should voluntarily retire from active politics and act as advisors. Old tricks like the construction of a Ram Mandir will not do any more. In any case, Hinduism is known for its catholicity. Narrow themes propagated by the Shiv Sena or RSS/VHP have no resonance with the younger generation. — Ram Chander, GurgaonGrassroots letters• IT’S noteworthy that the Indian Express has decided to institute the ‘Letter of the Week’ award. It stimulates readers to think. But, sir, it is impossible for rural readers to abide by your desire of letter writers using the e-mail facility. A popular newspaper like yours must project the cause of rural development and involve the rural reader in its debates.— Shivajirao G. Jadhav, SataraThis is to remind readers that letters that arrive by post are also being considered for the ‘Letter of the Week’ award.— Editor
