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Journalism of Courage
8226; This refers to 8216;Bihar floods a national calamity8217;. It8217;s very unfortunate that while Bihar is reeling under floods, Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar are indulging in a blame game. The CM has blamed Lalu Prasad for not taking precautions during his tenure as CM. But what has Nitish Kumar himself done as CM? The standard of governance in Bihar is no better. The Centre, meanwhile, has declared relief packages worth crores. NGOs too should come forward and deliver aid to the marooned and destituted. This is also an opportunity for Raj Thackeray to embrace a noble cause: the rescue and rehabilitation of Biharis. 8212; Deepak Chikramane
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8226; Bihar is no stranger to floods once the rains come. However, the Kosi tragedy is no ordinary flood, but like all heavy floods, it has affected the underprivileged members of society most. What doesn8217;t change from one natural disaster to another is the attitude and action of the officials 8212; they pay visits to the affected areas and grant relief, all for the benefit of the cameras. Whether or not that relief reaches the victims concerns nobody. It is perhaps also time we reconsidered our dams and their management.
8212; Farzana Nigar
Ranchi
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A pat for Buddha
8226; Indian citizens should compliment Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for raising his 8220;bandh voice8221; and speaking out against frequent bandhs which harm not only Bengal8217;s but also India8217;s economy as a whole. The worst victims of bandhs are invariably daily wage-earners who are forced to go hungry while their 8220;netas8221; eat to their heart8217;s content. Undoubtedly, the strike is a legitimate weapon for workers, but are they benefiting from it at all?
8212; N. Nagarajan
Secunderabad
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Circus time
8226; Shibu Soren8217;s re-appointment as the Jharkhand CM underscores one brutal fact of our democratic practice: it8217;s impossible to rid politics of corruption 8216;Sixth time unlucky?8217; IE, September 1. Not long ago, Soren had been convicted for murder. Undermining all political ethics, he has since ascended to a position of power again. Even worse, there was no political instability that would justify the withdrawal of support to the Koda government. With the UPA8217;s blessings, in lieu of his crucial support on the nuclear deal, Soren has made a mockery of democracy.
8212; Ashwani Sharma
Ghaziabad
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Watch thy neighbour
8226;With mainstream Pakistani politicians pulling in different directions, the Taliban and al-Qaeda have unleashed their full fury. Moreover, with the US breathing down Pakistan8217;s neck, the Pakistani army again occupies the centrestage in governance. But this time it is not in a hurry to take over the wheel. It will wait till the politicians play themselves out and there is a demand for the army to intervene. Pakistan is truly at cross roads. It is, however, no occasion for India to be complacent. Any instability in Pakistan is going to hit us hard.
8212; R.J. Khurana
