Nation’s interest

• The article, ‘Three grand bargains’ (IE, July 12) is a very comprehensive and fair assessment of the situation. The Manmohan Singh government has, by and large, maintained the contours of foreign and strategic policies inherited from the Vajpayee government. The country or the middle classes should have no complaint if, one, statements like that of the PM likening the government bungling in handling the terrorist attack in Ayodhya to the tragic hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar are avoided and, two, if Mr Rip Van Winkle will keep quiet.

— G.S. Bhargava New Delhi

RTI regime

• The editorial, ‘Official Secrets’ (IE, July 12), rightly points out that the CBI and the CVC mainly deal with matters concerning public interest and, therefore, they should “help set up an RTI-compliant regime”. True, the government has exempted a host of central agencies from the purview of the act, while there should have been “only a few like the IB and the RAW”, as correctly echoed by the CBI director. Howevzer, by seeking exemption, it appears both the CBI and the CVC are forgetting the very nature of their job. Given the scenario, it is likely that many more organisations might come forward to seek exemption that can defeat the very purpose of the act.

— K.J. John Vadodara

• The RTI act basically aims at dissemination of information for all the reasons as rightly known by us. Information generated by the government — especially organisations like CBI and CVC — are crucial for public interest. It can’t be undermined in magnitude. The act leaves quite a bit of space for arbitration already and any further amendment would just destroy its aim of development and participatory governance.

— Susmita Pratihast Delhi

• First President Kalam and then the heads of the CBI and CVC — everyone thinks they are special enough to escape the right to information law (‘Info law: CBI, CVC say keep us out’, IE, July 11). One wonders why such reluctance for transparency, ironically from the CVC whose mandate is open governance. If there is any drawback in the RTI Act, it is that it does not extend to political parties. Why should they be exempt?

— Santosh Parikh Delhi

How fair?

• I was amused to read Arun Jaitley’s piece, ‘Let’s be fair to Imrana’ (IE, July 12). Look who is talking! Jaitley, a good friend and defender of Narendra Modi, was anything but fair when numerous Bilkis Banos and Zaheera Sheikhs faced the fury of the crowds. Not even a word about them was heard.

— Pranav Sachdeva Delhi