letters to editor
BE AGGRESSIVE WITH CHINA
For over a decade, our soldiers are being killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the cross-border firing by Pakistan. Indian leaders have been making statements that Pakistan should be taught a lesson through war. But when it comes to China, be it the recent penetration of Chinese soldiers into Indian territory in Uttarakhand or the Doklam standoff, no one is talking of war as an option. I agree that we are not in a state of war with China. But the government should, at least, adopt more aggressive policy towards China like it has done in case of Pakistan. Arun Sundhral, Amritsar
HIGHHEADED COPS
A prompt transfer of Ludhiana DIG for threatening a Congress MLA should have a sobering effect on high-headed cops. It is important that the top authorities show a similar alacrity on people’s complaints with regard to callous and humiliating conduct of policemen. Ordinary citizens are scared of going to police stations because policemen generally don’t treat them with respect. There is a need for continuous training of cops of all levels to change their approach towards public dealing. MPS Chadha, Mohali
NODETENTION POLICY
The Union cabinet has approved the proposal to scrap the no-retention policy as ordained in the Right to Education (RTE) Act. It was a long awaited decision in the wake of falling standards of learning and difficulties in the way of implementing continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE). It is hoped that the fall in learning outcomes will be arrested with the scrapping of the policy. It also seems necessary that education of teachers should be taken up in the right earnest through special pre-service and in-service courses. Dr S Kumar, Panchkula
LEAVE PUNISHMENT TO GOD
Cow vigilantism continues unabated despite the Supreme Court’s observation in the matter. Incidents of lynching and beating of those possessing or eating beef continue to make headlines. One of my favourite from the many couplets of Kabir is “Kabira teri jhopdi gal katiyan ke paas jo karenge so bharenge tu kyon bhayo udaas (O Kabir! your hut is next to the butchers’ bay. Why do you feel down? For their conduct they only shall pay).” If the so-called protectors of cows are truly religious, instead of taking the law into their hands, they should leave the wrong-doers to God’s wrath. How is a human authorised to punish another for any reason? Anjali Rathi , Karnal
BJP’S GROWTH PHENOMENAL
With M Venkaiah Naidu’s election as the 13th Vice-President, for the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party will have his own President,Vice-President and Prime Minister of India, signifying the stupendous growth of the saffron fold in politics across states.This would be the party’s second consecutive victory on two top constitutional posts in the past two months.Now, the government can effectively control both houses of the Parliament.
Amit Kumar, Amritsar
JUNK FOOD AT CINEMAS
It’s disheartening to find no healthy food option available at cinema halls, except the exorbitantly priced mineral water. The government needs to look into the prices that the popcorn tubs and aerated drinks are being sold at these entertainment hubs. They can at least introduce healthy fruit and vegetable salads, soups, fresh juices, etc., along the humongous fried food portions. Dr Seema Garg, Hoshiarpur
FREEDOM FIGHTERS FAMILIES LEFT WANTING
It’s a shame that families of the freedom fighters have to struggle to get their dues. Though promised a government job in 2006 by the then Congress government, Jagga Singh, the great grandson of freedom fighter Udham Singh, is still working in a merchant shop in Sangrur for a meagre ₹2,500 per month. Efforts to seek help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh have gone in vain. While the government is introducing several schemes for the poor, families of freedom fighters have been left wanting. They deserve more respect than this. Nitin Singh,Ambala
‘RESCUE NEHRU FROM HIS DESCENDENTS’
Apropos the article ‘Rescue Nehru from his descendents’ by Ramchandra Guha (July 30, HT), Nehru fought tooth and nail for the freedom of our country at the cost of personal and family sufferings. As the first PM, he was the architect of modern India, having a secular and democratic Constitution with socialist ethos. The RSS and BJP always dreamt of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and had an agenda suffused with parochial ideas that did not fit into Nehru’s scientific temper and philosophy. It is shameful, disgraceful and unforgivable for any party to try to obliterate the memory of such a great national hero. BM Singh, Amritsar
OF GENES AND ETHICS
Apropos, ‘The gene is out of the bottle’ (HT, Aug 5), from the first foetal surgery more than thirty years back to correct heart problem of an unborn child to removing tumour, big strides have been made in the field of genetic engineering. Though ethics involved in certain steps taken are yet to be debated by critics and society at large, breakthroughs in the technology will continue. Humanity may ultimately benefit from this technology in future when debates reach a sensible conclusion. Dr BN Anand, Mohali