The nation should not beg, plead or demand patriotism; it has to come from within. (Express photo/Sahil Walia)
This refers to the editorial, ‘A jarring note’ (IE, July 27). Why do courts have to issue orders on national anthem and “national song” like doctors prescribing medicines? Orders asking people in government offices to sing the national song once a month, school and colleges twice a week and directing movie theaters to play the national anthem before every show do evoke this analogy. There have been instances where even disabled people have been beaten black and blue for not standing when the anthem was being played. The nation should not beg, plead or demand patriotism; it has to come from within.
Bholey Bhardwaj, Mumbai
Unethical profits
This refers to the article, ‘Address this blockage’ (IE, July 27). The article does not give any relevant data on the share of the manufacturers’ and other stakeholders’ profit in the final cost borne by customers. The writers say reforms are required to encourage research and indigenisation. They ask that patients be more informed. Their demands are not wrong. But they cannot be used as a shield against unethical profiteering and exploitative pricing.
Abhimanyu S. Shekhawat, Jaipur
Decorum of house
This refers to the editorial, ‘Case for generosity’ (IE, July 26). Gone are the days when the Opposition was given respect at par with the ruling party and all parliamentarians were keen to maintain the decorum of the august house. The speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan suspended six Congress MPs recently. This was similar to her action in August 2015 when she suspended 25 Congress MPs. There has been not much change in the behaviour of opposition party MPs in these two years. Constitutionally, the speaker’s action was on the right track in both the cases. But she should have been slightly lenient in accommodating and listening to dissent — the cornerstones of democracy.
Sambhu Nath Chowdhury, Hooghly
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