Letter to the Editor: Playing politics

This refers to the editorial, ‘Playing catch-up’ (IE, June 23). With due regard to Meira Kumar and her admirable career in public life, much of what she is today is due to her being the daughter of the late Jagjiwan Ram, while Ram Nath Kovind is a self-made person. The selection of Kumar as the Congress-led Opposition’s presidential candidate has exposed their collective hypocrisy. Their aim is clearly to counter the NDA’s candidate, Ram Nath Kovind, and to put Nitish Kumar, who has declared his support for Kovind, in a quandary. They hope to invoke “bihar ki beti” to counter him. It may be recalled that the Congress could have easily installed Kumar as president in 2007, when it was in power at the Centre, instead it brought in a little-known Pratibha Patil.

M.C. Joshi, Lucknow

Culture lost

This refers to the report, ‘IS blows up iconic Al-Nuri mosque’ (IE, June 23). If there is ever “peace in the middle east”, we will perhaps have an accounting of the sheer number of historical and cultural treasures that the world has lost. Buried in the series of headlines is a story of the lost diversity, memory and intellectual and artistic brilliance of a region what was once the repository of the world’s knowledge.

Astha Kumar, Delhi