letterstoeditor
GIVE YOGI A CHANCE
The media and opposition are being too skeptical about the BJP’s choice for the post of Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Yogi Adityanath’s detractors have pounced upon him for his actual or percieved past actions and words, when in fact they will get enough time in coming years to rate his work and vindicate their opinion. At least, give Yogi sufficient time to prove his worth or otherwise. Karan Singh Vinayak, Chandigarh
II
The BJP seems to have taken a gamble by appointing Adityanath as the UP CM, but similar apprehensions were raised even when Narendra Modi was named the PM nominee ahead of the 2014 elections. Adityanath may have an image of a polarising firebrand, but it is too early to pass any judgment. This is one CM whose performance will be watched keenly. Hopefully, he will keep the larger picture in mind rather than propagating the Hindutva agenda.
SC Dhall, Zirakpur
PMO PUSH MADE SBI ACT
My 80-year-old mother submitted ₹21,553 medical claim post hospitalisation to the State Bank of India’s Dhab Wasti Ram branch in Amritsar on October 5, 2016, under its scheme for retirees. Despite five reminders via email and copy to the SBI chairman in Mumbai, the authorities did not even acknowledge the representations. After four months, a complaint was lodged with the PMO. On March 3, when the PMO’s endorsement letter reached the SBI through the finance ministry, the bank management finally reimbursed the amount within 24 hours.
RK Arora, Amritsar
LIVING ENTITIES
The Uttarakhand high court deserves kudos for bestowing the status of ‘living entities’ on the Ganga and Yamuna. The health of water bodies, particularly rivers, has a significant effect on lives of both flaura and fauna. Cleaning and conserving these life-supporting entities is of utmost importance. Mona Khokhar
SIDHU ON TV SHOW
By now Navjot Singh Sidhu must have realised that running a public office is not a laughing matter. His participation in a comedy show may be getting him wads of notes but is unnecessarily showing him in bad light. He should just have campaigned for the Congress while letting his wife and sitting MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu fight the assembly elections. This would have not only spared him the ongoing controversy but also helped him go up in public estimation.
Tarsem Singh, Mahilpur
CLARITY ON VAT
The report that value-added tax (VAT) cannot be charged on discounted items has provided much-needed clarity on the issue. Retailers and several online shopping portals are charging VAT after offering discounts. The illegal practice is a classic example of befooling ignorant consumers. Navjeet Kaur Gill, Bathinda
VIOLENCE AGAINST SCRIBES
Independent journalism is vital for a healthy society. It derives from the right to express opinions and right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas. It contributes towards ensuring transparency and accountability in governance and other matters of public interest. According to figures of the Committee to Protect Journalists, India is among the 20 most unsafe countries for scribes. It’s time to set up a national-level mechanism for the safety and protection of journalists. Renu Rana
BENGALURU SHAME
A girl was reportedly molested in Bengaluru as she failed to understand Kannada. Such incidents are a blot on our federal structure. We all have a common law that gives us the right to reside in any part of the country without the compulsion of knowing the local language. Anshu Kalra, Ludhiana
BJP WAVE
Apropos the comment piece ‘BJP’s created a seasonal wave’ (HT, March 21), Narendra Modi has emerged as a successful leader by winning trust of millions of voters even after demonetisation that drew sharp criticism. The poll results in Uttar Pradesh are really astounding. Earlier regional parties like SP and BSP secured votes in the name of caste, religion and with the backing of money. But the BJP has made voters move above all these considerations. Anamika Bahuguna, SAS Nagar
NATIONAL HEALTH POLICY
The editorial ‘Far too many gaps’ (HT, March 21) is very timely and has rightly highlighted deficiencies in India’s National Health Policy. The previous health policies looked good on paper, but their implementation remained miserable. Healthcare in India needs radical reforms, including increase in health budget to 3-5% of the GDP, strengthening of the public healthcare system and increase in the number of government medical colleges. Dr Vitull K Gupta, Bathinda
JAT AGITATION
BJP MP RK Saini is right in calling the Khattar government’s concessions to Jat protestors a ‘sell-out’. Accepting their demand for reservation will open the Pandora’s box and lead to similar demands by other communities. Instead of eliminating caste-based reservation in a phased manner, governments are rather encouraging it at the cost of our teeming youth’s future. Bhupinder Kochhar
PROACTIVE JUDICIARY
Of late, the judiciary has moved away from the traditional way of working and is going all out to address issues affecting the common man. Chief Justice of India JS Khehar has advocated reaching out to victims of acid attack and rape who suffer for want of better legal assistance. It is hoped that survivors of such heinous crimes will not get a raw deal anymore, if our country keeps getting such CJIs.
Manjeet S Ishar, SAS Nagar