Letters to the editor

Dr Venugopal, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, deserves to be complimented because his minister could not win on any single ground at the hands of the judiciary as he sought to run riot with the autonomous character of a great medical institution. Therefore, a law had to be passed in order to fix a distinguished man of medicine. That, in itself, is a telling commentary on the UPA8217;s functioning. It has displayed its inherent weakness, and also its keenness to survive in power at any cost.

Besides vulnerable and marginalised sections of our population, the other most vulnerable people are 8220;upright8221; bureaucrats. To cite a few instances, during Indira Gandhi8217;s rule, Railway Board Chairman Ganguly was sacrificed because the railway minister did not like him. N.K. Mukharji, ICS, Union home secretary was replaced after the Emergency because he had no inkling of what was going to be pronounced by the Allahabad High Court. H.M. Patel became the scapegoat in the infamous 8216;Mundhra deal8217;. The UPA on assuming office shifted the then Cabinet Secretary, Kamal Pandey, because he was known for being unbending.

8212; Prasad Malladi

Basivireddypeta AP

Taslima8217;s difference

8226; Taslima Nasreen wonders why 8220;nothing happens to Husain8221; while everybody is after her life. She need not be surprised. M.F. Husain faces Hindu communalists who can only bark but not bite. Taslima, in contrast, is provoking Muslim fanatics 8212; who can not only bark, but bite as well. The shameless capitulation of the so-called torchbearers of secularism and human rights on the Taslima Nasreen issue in West Bengal clearly shows that they will bow down to any extent for the sake of Muslim votes.

8212; Udita Agrawal

New Delhi

Holy comment

8226; Apropos 8216;Communal in Kolkata8217;, what does Tavleen Singh achieve by dubbing Islamic Shariat as primitive? In fact, she is at her best spewing venom against Islam. The eminent writer fails to understand a basic fact: you cannot judge and comment on a religion by the acts of its adherents. It is always possible that the believers of a particular religion may not be following it in letter and spirit or may have been misguided due to their incorrect interpretation of the faith and its teachings. If one wants to understand Islam, he or she should go through the Holy Quran and the sayings of its Prophet with the sincere and honest intention of plumbing the depth of wisdom. If a couple of Hindus are involved in a crime, does it mean that all Hindus are criminals?

8212; Safiya Sameena

Vijayawada

Uphaar legacy

8226; After ten long years, the verdict on the Uphaar fire is out. The Delhi sessions court may have pronounced 12 guilty, following the liability principle. But for the relatives of 59 people who perished in the fire, it has brought no real relief. They feel that full justice still remains elusive. For them, the fire is still to be doused 8216;Verdict by fire8217;. This means that they will have to go to a higher court. Going by past experience, the next stage will also take an excruciatingly long time. Of course, it would sensitise the concerned authorities and push them into taking the necessary precautions and enforcing safety norms. But the problem is that when such tragedies occur, there can never be any real closure.

8212; H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana

Anand