Freedom first

Some people, especially the right-wing, thanks to their hostility for the progressive, label Maoists as terrorists and want to wipe them off the face of the earth. It does not occur to them that Maoists are not born Maoists, but are made Maoists by the unjust social and economic order with violence against the weak built into it. Call them rebels with a cause, left-wing extremists if you want, but don't compare them to right-wing extremists, for what they represent bear no comparison.

For the emergence of Maoist-mukt Bharat, the causes that produce Maoists need to be addressed first. Rather than going after intellectuals and activists for championing the cause of human rights and welfare of the lower orders, the state should admit the structural violence and the inhumanity of keeping the country's weak and vulnerable people in sub-human and vulnerable conditions. For political freedom to be meaningful, there should be some semblance of economic and social freedom for all the citizens.

The time has come for those who cherish democracy and freedom to assert that the hard-won space of citizens to dissent and protest and work for a better world without glaring inequalities cannot be ceded to the state. It goes without saying that any political system refusing to allow dissent becomes a tyranny. As Justice Chandrachud has put it, dissent is the safety valve of democracy. The day is not far off when as a nation we will slide into tyranny, if the naked misuse of state power is not resisted with all the strength.

G David Milton Maruthancode

Orchestrated crackdown

The Maharashtra police’s move to take into custody some human rights activists has virtually failed, with the Supreme Court observing that “dissent is the safety valve of democracy” and directing that these activists be kept under house arrest. Hitting a serious blow to the police as well as the Maharashtra government, the SC rightly questioned the arrests of the activists after a period of nine months since the Bhima-Koregaon incident. Without any tangible proof, the arrests raise suspicion about the ulterior motive of law enforcing agencies and the government.

Governments all over the world dislike critics and dissidents because such dissenters bring to light many misdeeds of those who control and misuse power. The brazen attempt by the government to imprison its critics reflects a fascist mindset that disregards civil rights. This is clearly part of an orchestrated crackdown on political dissent.

S K Khosla Chandigarh

When to let go

In his column “Just let go and grow roses” (August 30) Pratip Kar makes an interesting observation that people in power or control should let go when necessary. One situation when this is necessary is the time the incumbent is on the threshold of entering the level of incompetence. This would be the case when too many changes in business environment or volatile turmoil within the organisation may call for a different set of competence the individual may not possess. Better to hand over then.

Another ‘when’ moment is: The organisation has a strong bench strength and the potential successor (and those down the hierarchy) is in a position to provide a new direction and quantum leap to the organisation. The third scenario is when the incumbent is on the verge of becoming a workaholic neglecting his/her family and joys of life altogether. This arises from the narcissistic notion that he/she is indispensable to the organisation.

Last, one may employ “let go” as a temporary step, a tactical retreat-getting away from the scene because the team or the owners of business do not see eye to eye with him/her though his/her strategy is what the company needs. Consequent downfall of the setup would make his recall inevitable and position more respectable.

Y G Chouksey Pune