Rao, a salute

Although K.J. Rao, the epitome of duty, has decided to call it a day, he will be best remembered, not only as the person who s...

Although K.J. Rao, the epitome of duty, has decided to call it a day, he will be best remembered, not only as the person who singlehandedly changed the face of Bihar elections, but also as someone who was handed the rare opportunity of being an international observer at the US polls. During his short stint as the observer for the West Bengal8217;s elections, he had tried to do away with most of the electoral malpractices that were so rampant here. We salute this man whose bravado and sense of duty made him stand out.

8212; Abhishek Law, Kolkata

8226; The sudden withdrawal or removal of K.J. Rao from the poll observing process in West Bengal is like changing the referee in a football game by a playing side which is prone to use force more than playing the game fairly. His resignation will have a demoralising effect on the other poll observers.

8212; N.K. Das Gupta, Kolkata

How good is Bush?

8226; After reading media reports on the US president8217;s visit, I could not but notice the predominant feeling in the media that Bush is good for India. I think this feeling is misplaced. Even if we ignore the fact that everything is not hunky dory with Indian democracy, we should still be wary of not falling into the trap of selfish interests. We have to look deeply into the motives of an US administration that has for no just cause or reason invaded two countries Iraq and Afghanistan and brutalised their citizens and infrastructure. Another major reason for the pro-Bush sentiments is a strong antipathy towards Leftists and Islamic fundamentalists and an intense dislike for everything they stand for. Leftists and Muslim protestors have their biases and regressive attitudes but that does not mean the rest should lose their
ability to analyse these issues independently.

8212; Rajesh Gajra, Mumbai

Double standards

8226; I was in Delhi during the US president8217;s visit and experienced the torture of being caught in traffic jams. The communists objected to the PM 8220;breaking protocol8221; in receiving Bush. However, they had no qualms about the PM doing the same for the Saudi king.

8212; S.C.N. Jatar, Pune

8226; The protests by Left parties and sections of Indian Muslims against the visit of George Bush were misconceived since US has not done anything against our interests in the immediate past. It is surprising that similar discontent was not evident when Musharraf visited India, despite terrorist attacks on the Indian parliament and elsewhere. Nor did the Left raise a single slogan against the visit of the Chinese premier, despite Chinese aggression against India and its continuing occupation of its territory.

8212; J.M. Manchanda, New Delhi

Sun power

8226; Our self-centred politicians are rapidly reducing Maharashtra into a backward state with even Mumbai reeling under power shortage and power cuts. Fortunately, this gloomy period can be used to introduce solar-powered devices in a large way. Solar lights and cookers can help in reducing power consumption in the long run. The government should undertake campaigns and educate people on the advantages of this cheap and clean source of power. It should reduce duties on solar devices so that they become affordable.

8212; Atul Gupta, Mumbai