• This is in response to your report Sania and Shoaib appeal: spare us… . One fails to understand the fuss over the engagement of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik. People crticising Sania need to grow a few brain cells: its her life,and her marriage. If Sania and Shoaib are content with each other,no law can prevent them from marrying. There is nothing new in Indian girls marrying Pakistanis. The attention on this issue is becoming loathsome. Sania must have the courage of her convictions in the face of this shameless,obsessive outburst from her countrymen. A noted anthropologist has rightly said that if men of a country made it a rule to marry foreign women,there will be more peace on earth… The Indian tennis star and the Pakistani all-rounder should be given dual citizenship.
Vinod C. Dixit
State rights
• While I wouldnt like to say anything against the Right to Education bill in case I wind up being branded an elitist,I do feel that Mayawati does have something of a point. Building statues is wrong but let us be objective and look at it in totality. The government passes a bill under the Concurrent List meaning states have to implement it. Most states are running deficits; the new bill puts an additional strain on state resources. At the same time,the Centre looks to cut its deficit. Thus when our honourable finance minister stands up next year to present his budget even if things go exactly according to plan he will pass on part of the blame of a higher deficit to states which had to increase their deficit due to this act. In this manner the Central government has tried to absolve itself of responsibility.
Rahul Mudholkar
CVCs turn
• This refers to the report Two days to retirement,govt steps in for whistleblower. The CVC needs to explain to the public why it had not taken up cudgels on behalf of the whistleblower,compelling the government to act instead. A lack of response would only water down the faith we have on the vigilance set-ups in government departments and PSUs and tend to demoralise these very vigilance units.
R. Narayanan
Ghaziabad
Subtle signals
• I was amused to read Cong U-turn: Sharing dais with Big B okay. Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed clarified that no one has been officially asked not to share a dais with Bachchan and only those who dont like his being Gujarats brand ambassador are avoiding Bachchan. Ahmed perhaps forgets that,in politics,nobody asks anybody to do or not do anything. Its always conveyed subtly,and acted upon.
Yash P. Verma
Pune
