No certainties

• The present trend in Indian politics as well as exit polls indicate an era of coalitions at the Centre. I...

• The present trend in Indian politics as well as exit polls indicate an era of coalitions at the Centre. In this context we should consider a national government at the Centre, which would include representatives of all political parties. Our legislators should not have the right to remain in Parliament if the people they represent are not satisfied. Detailed criteria should be worked out to recall anyone from Parliament should the people be dissatisfied with his or her work. We should also end political short-cuts that allow many who don’t get elected directly to find a way into the Rajya Sabha. We, the people of India, should exercise our franchise in a judicious way — for it is we who have to create Superpower India.

— Mohammed S. Afzal Jamnagar

Humane ties

• It was heart-rending to read about the Reddy family in Andhra Pradesh (‘What Naidu couldn’t Express readers do’, IE, May 4). Theirs is a saga of courage, despair and surrender.
Is humanity dead? All political parties put a cover on such villages/districts where there is no development, no progress in literacy programmes, and no schemes to deliver basic amenities. Let them face their failures and tackle them instead of shamelessly fooling voters. All citizens should do their bit to help the Reddy family since every paisa counts. The Centre and states must make education till the tenth standard compulsory.

— Anita Khurana On e-mail

New perspectives

• I fully share the vision Rahul Gandhi has for India (‘I won’t indulge in tit-for-tat politics’, IE, May 2). Though he is a fresher in politics, more sense emanates from his speeches than from those of so-called senior politicians.

— Fazle Abbas On e-mail

Dhanraj’s lesson

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• Bizarre things like this can happen only in India. A team going for the Olympic gold after more than two decades leaves out three of the best players in the world today! What an easy time the other teams are going to have. Moral of the story: open your mouth, face the axe.

— Shanti Sam On e-mail

On Soundarya

• Soundarya, who died recently in an aircrash when she was on her way to campaign for the BJP, was no run of the mill star. Beyond the periphery of cinema there existed a different Soundarya, a passionate believer in philanthropy and in addressing social causes.
Politics, which unfortunately was to cost her her life, was never a priority with her. Nudged towards it by her friends and well-wishers, she jumped onto the BJP bandwagon and soon became a star campaigner. The grapevine had it that the party was considering her candidature for the Lok Sabha from Andhra Pradesh. All that is now past and the heroine who had everything going for her and who was at a very decisive stage in her life when she was moving towards more purposeful cinema has now become just a fond memory. Fate’s nefarious designs have robbed us of this charmer.

— C.V. Aravind Bangalore

‘Why weren’t TVK leaders told it wasn’t right day for a big event’: Cong MP Jothimani

Political Pulse4 hr ago

A stampede at TVK founder Vijay's rally in Karur led to the death of 40 people and injuries to many. Congress's Karur MP Jothimani identifies overcrowding, poor planning, and the timing of the event as possible causes. She recommends setting clear guidelines for political gatherings and consulting all parties to prevent similar tragedies.

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