Opinion Don’t talk

Bhopal

No time to lose

• In times of national crises,there needs to be robust coordination between the Centre and the states. A roughshod and sledgehammer approach is a recipe for disaster. States pull in different directions and the Union government is not even kept in the loop. The Maoist menace should be dealt with through a concerted and well-thought-out strategy. It is time we pulled up our socks. A task force under the home minister should be constituted instead of piecemeal decisions which state governments take.

— S.K. Shah

New Delhi

Brute forces

• The brutal killing of Sikhs by the Taliban in Pakistan was inhuman and needs to be condemned in harsher tones. It’s shocking that innocent Sikhs were beheaded for either not paying the ransom or not agreeing to convert to Islam. Whatever the reason,the Taliban’s heinous act cannot be pardoned. It’s more shameful that the Pakistani authorities have washed their hands off the gory murders by saying that not only Sikhs but also others,including their armed forces,are being similarly killed .

— R.K. Kapoor

Chandigarh

Raising Cain

• The repeated coverage of the brutal attack on German Bakery in Pune does the good job of nudging our memory. The Indian Mujahideen’s widely spread out sleeping cells and modules,in league with terrorist outfits across the border or on their own steam,have great potential to cause damage in terms of property and lives. The trouble is that many are susceptible to indoctrination. The only antidote to the ideology of hate and mindless violence is education and good governance.

— John Alexander

Nagpur