Opinion Well spoken,now act

Ahmedabad

Where do we start?

• There are problems with Rajindar Sachar’s suggested solutions for the women’s bill. It’s quite likely that deserving women will not make it to Parliament despite reservation. Rather,whether male MPs “sacrifice” their seats or more seats are added to Parliament,parties will offer tickets to wives and female relatives of existing MPs and leaders,thereby keeping out many women who should be in Parliament on merit. Unfortunately,nobody talks about the long-term,real affirmative action this country needs — equal opportunities for education and work for all and an end to discrimination.

— Harish Awasthi

New Delhi

Malefactors?

• Sharad Yadav’s stand on women’s reservation is wholly unjustified. The roots of most objections to the bill will be found in male chauvinism and sexism. Moreover,Rajindar Sachar’s

advice to increase Parliamentary strength may be a compromise formula,but it will only add to male chauvinism,in fact,strengthen it. Why must the women’s bill ensure that masculine “honour” is not affected? Many of our male MPs should let go of their seats.

— Sachin Vankar

Ahmedabad

Open heart

• The Chhattisgarh government’s decision to allow free access and consequent development initiatives in the Abujmarh tribal forest area is a welcome step more so given the unfortunate circumstances that led to entry restrictions in the early ‘80s. Recently,I was fortunate to experience the Gond tribes’ rich culture in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. I got a deep insight into “Gotul”. Originally meant to protect the sanctity of the relationship of a newly wedded couple,“Gotul” evolved over time into a symbol of social and communal harmony. In this light,the incident involving the foreign TV channel was deplorable. A closer look at these tribals would only enhance our own “civilised” understanding of human relationships.

— Abhishek M. Chaudhari

Pune

Why now?

• This refers to ‘Succession war is between the lines of Jaswant to Rajnath’. Jaswant Singh’s letter to the BJP’s core committee members seems a perfect case of a senior BJP leader and former cabinet minister mainly targeting a colleague in a self-serving effort instead of owning collective responsibility for the electoral failure. If the 2004 defeat was not discussed on the party fora,why did Jaswant Singh keep quiet for five years?

— M. Ratan

New Delhi