Letters to the editor

The recent bandh organised by the TN government, in spite of a clear warning against doing so by the Supreme Court...

Courting ban

8226; The recent bandh organised by the TN government, in spite of a clear warning against doing so by the Supreme Court, amounted to blatant contempt of the court. This will encourage more disobedience by governments and people at all levels. Populist notions are overtaking legal remedies. When even the common man knows about the court ruling that bans bandhs, it is shocking that the TN government went ahead with it. Imposing a mere fine on the TN government or issuing a mere reprimand is not enough. This government should be allowed to continue for the present to avoid the cost and inconvenience of re-elections, but the DMK must be banned from taking part in the next election. A one-term ban will be more biting than mere fines. The UPA government, for its part, has shown itself to be spineless.

8212; N. Ananth

Mumbai

Judicial intervention

8226; The oral observation by the Supreme Court bench that the democratically elected DMK government should invite dismissal goes against the health of the quasi-federal set-up that is Indian democracy. Order and stability in our democracy depends very much on a sound Centre-state relationship. The judiciary should try to preserve and promote this, as judicial verdicts like the Bommai judgment have emphasised. But the provocative judicial recommendation of dismissal of the DMK government seems to be an attempt to undermine a healthy Centre-state relationship. If a democratically elected government calls for a bandh in its state, it depends upon the people of the state to accept or ignore the call. If, however, the bandh is forced upon society through illegitimate and coercive means, then judicial or Central intervention would be called for. But in the case of Tamil Nadu this time, the judiciary8217;s stand seemed to be an unwarranted and unhealthy intervention.

8212; Dheeraj Pandey

Ghaziabad

Allied interests

Your editorial, Striking Facts suggests that the Supreme Court should not have warned the DMK government of dismissal. But in actual fact the matter is far more serious and not limited to the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. Reacting to the SC observations, I038;B Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters: 8220;We will not even remotely do anything that could hurt the Tamil Nadu government.8221; Such a statement goes against the norm that the rule of law must prevail and that it is incumbent upon the executive to ensure that it does. The UPA government therefore appears more keen to defend the interests of its allies rather than defend the interests of the people. It is generally admitted that judiciary is the only hope left for the people of this country. And this week8217;s developments proved that this indeed is the case.

8212; M.C. Joshi

Lucknow

Mamata appraisal

I am somewhat confused by Subrata Nagchoudhury8217;s, Mamata8217;s waiting for the main chance. He writes: 8220;Gone are the impetuous ways of old.8221; Mamata sans her impetuous ways? That is extremely difficult to believe. As for the Congress collaborating with her, we need to remember what Pranab Mukherjee had once commented: she Mamata is like a 8220;moth rushing to the flame without knowing the consequences8221;. The Congress will certainly think twice before aligning with the Trinamool Congress.

8212; Pradip Biswas

Kolkata