Vacate now

8226; Apropos of the news report,8216;Throw Buta out, says SC...8217; IE, October ...

8226; Apropos of the news report,8216;Throw Buta out, says SC8230;8217; IE, October 25, it8217;s true that Buta Singh is living in the Patna Raj Bhavan and is therefore not entitled to accommodation in Delhi, but I can8217;t understand why the apex court only mentions the controversial governor8217;s name and not that of UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav. Is it because he is paying Rs 1.57 lakh as monthly rent for a building that needs to be charged a market rent of Rs 6 lakh? Frankly, the government is no longer in a financial position to dole out illegal subsidies to politicians. It8217;s ironical that so-called leaders of poor masses like Harkishan Surjeet, or Mulayam Singh Yadav, or George Fernandes, and the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, or the three unnamed secretaries of the Congress party, which swears by the 8216;aam aadmi8217;, should enjoy the fruits of power in such a blatant fashion. After the court8217;s ire, it8217;s the duty of all political parties and their leaders to vacate their bungalows immediately before the next hearing on November 19.

8212; Bidyut K. Chatterjee Faridabad

The price we pay

8226; Politics today is dirty. It needed the Supreme Court to pass an order evicting illegal political squatters. In a similar way, politicians encourage infiltration to secure their own vote banks. They are using the good intentioned reservations as a tool to further their interests. They encourage slums for the very same reason. They incite communal and caste riots for short term gains. All this comes at a heavy cost for the country.

8212; Udita Agrawal New Delhi

Holiday of our own

8226; Apropos of Bikki Oberoi8217;s piece on 8216;India Empowered8217; IE, October 25, I am sure thousands of your readers will 8212; unlike him 8212; dream of an India where they can take their families to a decent place without having to stand in endless ticket queues; without having to bribe ticket checkers or go to touts. They would only wish to have clean rail or bus stations, safe compartments or buses; reasonably priced hotels; and clean food at a cost they can afford. To me, India Empowered is seeing my maid servant able to go for her once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Shirdi or Pandharpur in relative comfort.

8212; Kishore Karnad On e-mail

Right move

8226; It is really a commendable move on the part of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to demand the addition of 8216;Caste System8217; in Article 17 of our Constitution, thereby to make it read as 8220;Caste System and Untouchability are abolished in India8221;. We hail the Commission8217;s magnanimity. Our country should be totally freed of the caste system 8212; and the reservations they demand.

8212; C.R. Ramakrishnan On e-mail

PM8217;s call

8226; This refers to the issue of the non-bailable warrant against Union Minister Jaiprakash Narain Yadav. He should resign from his ministership immediately. If he does not do so, the prime minister should explain the reason for his continuation as minister. Are we a democracy in which MPs and ministers have to run away from from the police? The latest development spells a serious threat to Indian democracy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should immediately step in and do the needful on this issue.

8212; Rajesh Kumar On e-mail