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Journalism of Courage
8226; Thanks for publishing the Express investigation, 8216;Old ghosts return to Punjab with new faces8217; IE, July 24. The investigation gives a chilling picture of the Babbar Khalsa8217;s return. The most shocking part is that, like in many madrasas, it is also using gurdwaras as training centres for its heinous activities. I hope that not only the Central and Punjab government but also the Akali Dal and the SGPC will get to read your reports and take concrete steps to stop misguided youth from falling into the trap of terrorists. They must remember Punjab wants peace.
8212; Bidyut K. Chatterjee Faridabad
Monsoon session
8226; The current monsoon session of the Lok Sabha will put Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on test. There are 42 legislative bills to be discussed, put to vote and enacted. The available time is very short 8212; just 23 sittings in about a month. It will be a hard task for the Speaker to get members to attend work seriously. In the past we have witnessed rowdy scenes and walk-outs. It is time members realised the importance of time management and not indulge in petty issues like condemning the prime minister for what he said in Oxford in appreciation of British rule in India or did not say in US in criticism of the Bush administration. We will be watching!
8212; C.S. Pathak Aundh
8226; I agree with your editorial, 8216;BJP needs ideas8217; IE, July 26, that BJP is making an issue of a non-issue by trying to censure the prime minster for his so called pro-British Raj comments in his Oxford address. In fact the full speech has been published by the Press and it is clear that the PM had indeed criticised British rule. He rightly acknowledged their positive contributions. BJP, which is still reeling under the controversial 8216;Jinnah is secular8217; remarks of L.K. Advani is trying to confuse the public.
8212; Harish H.V. Bangalore
Seeing Red
8226; The editorial,8216;Red in the face8217; IE, July 25 refers to a typical occurrence in 8216;God8217;s own country8217;. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for Kerala 8212; in fact, we are not even in the tunnel! Various governments pat themselves on the high levels of social welfare, health, and so on, achieved by the state, but close their eyes to the huge public debt it bears.
8212; K.S.C. Nair Indianapolis
8226; The editorial, 8216;Red in the face8217;, mentions a CAG report. But it was about the Kuttyadi extension scheme deal with SNC Lavalin. The LDF government had no connection with this project in any way. There was another deal for the renovation and modernisation of the hydel schemes of Pallivasal, Sengulam and Panniar. This deal was signed by the UDF government.
8212; K.P. Sudhakaran Nair Thiruvananthapuram
Common threads
8226; The piece, 8216;Cultural cousins8217; by Renuka Narayanan IE, July 25, made nice reading. Being a Kashmiri, I would like to add a bit more to what she has already written. Kashmir has had a great cultural association with ancient Persia. In fact, such was the influence of Persian on the Kashmiri language that one finds great similarity between the two in terms of the vocabulary. Apart from the language, there are similarities in the physical features of Kashmiris and Persians now Iranians. I would second the demand for an Indian cultural centre at Tehran.
8212; Sumeet Dhar Pune
