Pratap B. Mehta correctly observes that the logic of compulsory voting in the West,enacted to encourage voting amongst politically disadvantaged groups,has little applicability in India where those who mainly do not vote are not the lower classes but the lethargic middle classes (Acts of choice,IE,December 22). Historically,middle classes have been at the vanguard of revolutions globally. Their inaction leads to political,cultural and economic stagnation. In this light,it is not wrong to compel the Indian middle class to play its
required role in nation-building. Various entrenched interests tend to perpetuate the status quo,while the poorer classes are too preoccupied with survival to act as agents of change.
Ajay Tyagi Mumbai
Opportune service
This refers to HRD Ministry mulls plan to start Indian Education Service (IE,December 22). The current effort of the HRD ministry to revive the proposal of the Indian Education Service is apt and timely. Its introduction,on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service or other allied services,may greatly solve the existing faculty shortage. Given that there is already a National Eligibility Test for the selection of college and university teachers,this test should be integrated with the proposed education service. One likely advantage of the proposed service may be an entry free from local political bias.
Bidyut K. Basu Kolkata
Cold stone?
Statues generate false hopes among the masses across India (Statue,statue,IE,December 22). When so many Indians live below the poverty line,these ventures do not really help answer livelihood questions of the poor. However,all political parties ought to share the blame for this impasse given that this obviously is a misuse of public funds. Further,regarding the debate over the book Ambedkars statue should hold,I believe it should be
left without a title. Otherwise,there will be another cause for disrupting Parliament.
Swarup Sinha
Aurangabad
Finally,maybe
Procrastination and the jousting of egos in the BJPs internal politics have made the change of guard an obvious transition (Magic potion,IE,December 19). Further,now that L.K. Advani has been elevated to the position of mentor as Parliamentary Party Chairman,he will hopefully manage to address the rumblings between the RSS and the BJP as well as those within the party itself. He will also ensure that Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley are technically on par. Less obvious has been the change of guard in the BJPs presidency. Rajnath Singhs tenure was marked,at best,by irrelevance,and at worst,by self-destruction. In a polity veering towards piecemeal regionalism,the BJP is still the antipode to the ruling coalition. However,the new dispensation will not automatically get the party back on track.
Dilbag Rai
