Unfair to Uma

8226; Both BJP and Shiv Sena are losing their ground because of their own policies, not because o...

8226; Both BJP and Shiv Sena are losing their ground because of their own policies, not because of their opponents. It8217;s well known that it was Uma Bharati who fought against Digvijay Singh and brought her party a clear win in MP but after some time she was asked to step down because she was summoned by a court of Hubli in a political case. In a similar political case, BJP president L.K. Advani remained ensconced in the cabinet. Uma Bharati is still the best crowd puller of the party and a mass leader. All those who opposed her claim to be CM have no mass appeal. They would need Uma8217;s help to pull in a crowd.

8212; Nisthasri Awasthi Delhi

Democratic BJP?

8226; Apropos of your editorial 8216;Bharati Janata Party8217; IE, November 29, the BJP8217;s claim to being a cadre-based disciplined party exploded in Bhopal when Bharati and her supporters threw to the winds the 8216;unanimous election8217; of the new Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. No doubt the sanyasin is a chronic rebel, but what the BJP leadership did was least expected of a party that boasts of democratic functioning and a clean image of its leaders.

8212; Ved Guliani Hisar

Revamp IFS

8226; C. Raja Mohan is right 8216;The Indian Feckless Service8217;, IE, November 28. Cowards cannot protect the wealth the nation creates. The IAS, IPS and IFS are careerist organisations. They cannot serve the national interest. The days of paper pushers are over. We will lose everything that Indians have created if we do not revamp these services so completely that the colonial stink is removed from them.

8212; Arvind Mathur Washington DC

Team with a flair

8226; The Mumbai match has shown that the Indian team has improved its game in all departments, whether it is bowling, batting and fielding. When Rahul Dravid was handed over the captaincy for the series against Sri Lanka and South Africa no one was expecting that he would lead the team with such flair. The Mumbai crowd8217;s disciplined behavior is equally commendable.

8212; Mohd. Mudassir Alam New Delhi

Fight oil mafia

8226; Thanks to the Indian Express, hundreds of readers have been able to express their anger, anguish, condolences, and despair on the brutal murder of Manjunath. In sharp contrast is the stony silence of the top brass of IOC and its czar Mani Shankar Aiyar. But then, will such letters, in any number, serve any real purpose, rein in the oil mafia, reduce adulteration? If all our young and not so young angry men and women really want Manjunath8217;s soul to rest in peace, they must wage a relentless war against the oil mafia that is eating away our money
and vehicles.

8212; Kishore Karnad On e-mail

Read it right

8226; It8217;s appalling to see the Congress and Left reactions to the Bihar verdict. Instead of acknowledging their mistake of supporting a non-performing party, the two are ruing the division of the so-called secular vote and asking allies at Centre to learn lessons to avoid the same in future. This is sheer disrespect to the opinion and aspirations of the people who voted against unprecedented misgovernance rather than for 8216;secularism8217; which was hardly an issue in Bihar.

8212; Nikhil Dhamija Baddi