It is really astonishing that khap panchayats,which encourage honour killings,are getting support from the Congress MP from Kurukshetra,Naveen Jindal. Instead of opposing the unlawful activities of khap panchayats,he is supporting them so that the suffocating and unbearable orthodoxy can continue. Everybody should oppose the proposed amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act seeking prohibition of intra-gotra marriages by khap panchayats.
Kiran Sabharwal
New Delhi
The best
Sol Wachtlers article (Right to remain Constitutional,IE,May 14) on the oped page of The Indian Express,reminds me of what the same Sol Wachtler,Chief Judge of New Yorks Court of Appeals,said when inaugurating the International Bar Association Conference in 1986: when first appointed Chief Justice of New Yorks highest court,he proudly showed his wife the table of his most illustrious predecessor in office,Justice Benjamin Cardozo. And he said to his wife in a reverent voice: See,dear,this is Cardozos table which I now use. And his wife replied (not very reverently): Yes,and after 50 years and five more Chief Justices it will still be Cardozos table. This is how Chief Justices of great merit and high integrity are remembered.
Fali S. Nariman
New Delhi
Learning curve
Nitin Gadkari is the president of a national party (Idiom and abuse,IE,14). He cannot be flippant with language while referring to leaders of other parties. He must take a few lessons in appropriate language from Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Even at the worst of times,Vajpayee never used harsh or inappropriate words while referring to his political opponents. However,now that he has regretted his remarks,no further notice should be taken by Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh. He may be BJP president,but hell take time to attain the stature required of his post.
R.J. Khurana Bhopal
No lame excuses
Indias humiliating exit from the World T20 has again introduced a question mark about Indias performance in the coming one-day World Cup in 2011 (Caribbean lesson,IE,May 13). The captains poor tactics,lack of focus,IPL fatigue and late-night IPL parties are key factors responsible for the shameful exit. Winning the 2011 World Cup appears to be a distant dream given the present scene in our cricket. The captain,who accepts accolades from the entire nation after every victory,should also accept the weak and poor performance of the team instead of giving lame excuses.
Pradeep Sabharwal
New Delhi
Caste creeds
The illogical demand for a caste-based census on the heels of caste-based reservations by casteist leaders is another example of their hypocrisy. On the one hand,all political and social leaders are shouting themselves hoarse for abolition of the caste system. But in the same breath,theyre strengthening the caste system in a very destructive and damaging manner by demanding caste-based census. Ultimately,everything boils down to vote-bank politics.
A.K. Sharma
