letterstoeditor

A DISPASSIONATE VIEW OF VIDEO ROW

Those who have seen the controversial video of former Chief Khalsa Diwan president Charanjit Singh Chadha can easily judge that the woman principal is not passive. There is no hint of pressure or coercion. Even though she has now complained, in the video, she even takes a selfie. This, however, does not absolve Chadha in any way, as he headed an institution where he was the father figure. The lingering thought is that the woman is not a minor girl, who could have been led astray. GS Bhasin, via email

RESOLVE ISSUES WITH PAKISTAN

The New Year has begun on a sombre note with pakistan-based terrorists killing five soldiers in Pulwama. Terrorists pounce on defence posts of their choosing and we are soft targets. The government needs to take pre-emptive steps to ensure our jawans are not cannon fodder. Time has come to put a decisive end to this bleeding. India should either take to surgical strikes as before or declare war on Pakistan. Talks can also be tried. The key to remember on both sides is that disputes between two sovereign states cannot be resolved by muscle power or arrogance.

RM Ramaul, Paonta Sahib

II

Deepest condolences to the families of the soldiers killed. Pakistan has again proved that it will continue with its nefarious designs to keep the valley on the boil. Worryingly, youngsters from Kashmir valley carried out the attack. The loopholes that led to this attack must be identified and plugged at the earliest. Fundamentally, we need to ensure that our youth are not easy prey to radical elements trying to indoctrinate them. This will happen only if we can ensure quality education, jobs and a solid grounding in the right values. Then, we can expect patriotism.

Upant Sharma, Panchkula

GOVT LAX, CATTLE SMUGGLERS ACTIVE

State governments across the country have failed to protect cows from the painful journey to slaughter houses. Despite the existence of hundreds of gaushalas in each state, stray bovines roam on roads, vulnerable to being smuggled for slaughter. The modus operandi of the smugglers is to round up freely available stray bovines during the day, sedate them and load them in the evening in trucks modified by installing heavy iron bumpers and guarders to smash police and other hurdles on their journey to slaughter houses. The whole talk of cow protection is, thus, a sham. The blatant smuggling is due to apathy and neglect of the government in rehabilitating stray bovines. Dr Soshil Rattan, Amritsar

BJP IN HURRY TO CHANGE SOCIAL FABRIC

The BJP is in a tearing hurry to change the social fabric of the country and bring in religious compartmentalisation via Ordinances, Bills and Acts wherever possible. Confusion is being created by introducing un-implementable policies and then making changes with each passing day. Swachh Bharat, demonetisation and GST are examples of bankruptcy of thought and planning. The latest addition to this is the Triple Talaq bill that has been pushed through by the Lok Sabha in a tearing hurry. The Bill had several shortcomings, yet the government chose to ignore these. If the real intention is good, then why not put in place a comprehensive law on marriage that is applicable to all Indians. Col Kuldip Singh Grewal

(retd), Patiala

PUT LIFE INTO FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITY

Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s announcement that the state will soon get a fire safety training centre revives a good practice. This critical wing of administration that concerns public safety has been ignored for a long time. Let us hope something positive emerges out of this. Hardish Kaur Sandhu,

Amritsar