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Letters to the Editor

Be better informed about parties SIR, ~ My compliments to you for the report, “Parties covered under RTI” (4 June).…

Be better informed about parties
SIR, ~ My compliments to you for the report, “Parties covered under RTI” (4 June). The fact of the matter is that the lives and aspirations of the people are  tremendously affected by the political parties, either directly or indirectly. It is the parties that frame laws after debates and discussions in Parliament and the state Assemblies. Theoretically, legislative enactments are intended to benefit the people. In reality, however, it is quite the contrary.
The political parties, irrespective of whether they belong to the ruling side or the Opposition, are in a position to fulfil the aspirations and improve the living conditions of the people. When they fail to do so, the people need to be vigilant. And they do reserve the right to seek information pertaining to political parties.
Therefore, the directive of the Central Information Commission deserves to be generally welcomed. Democracy will thereby reach the grassroot level of society.
yours, etc., prasanta sanyal, kolkata, 4 june.
Unusual unanimity
SIR, ~ Post-Independence, our parties have seldom arrived at a consensus on any issue other than external aggression, a natural calamity or a hike in pay and perquisites. MPs and MLAs are unanimous when it comes to the third compulsion.
  Notably, all parties have now banded together to oppose the CIC&’s order that seeks to include all political parties within the purview of the Right To Information Act. Politicians, normally divided along party lines, have almost unanimously demanded the withdrawal of the order.
yours, etc., arun malankar, mumbai, 5 june.
Ideology of extortion
SIR, ~ The Maoists are active once again to protest against the exploitation of tribals, who have been displaced from their hearth and home and without compensation… to make way for industrial projects.
  Neither the government nor the investor has ever come to their rescue. The Maoists are, in fact, fighting for the rights of the tribals.
   In 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the outfit as “the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country.”  On 22 June 2009, the UPA government banned the CPI (Maoist) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), claiming that the outfit is a terrorist organization.
The Maoists have claimed that they are fighting for the rights of the tribals in the forest belt around central India ~ Chattisgharh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. They have reportedly extended their network to Uttarakhand, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. These areas are rich in mineral deposits that are of interest to mining companies, such as  Tata and Essar.
Equally, the Maoists have somehow conveyed the impression that they are a bunch of extortionists who demand huge sums from the local offices of the mining companies and other business enterprises. They have been involved in the blowing up of schools and railway tracks, and accused of hindering  development.
They have often been involved in the killing of innocent people. They have been urged by the government to return to the mainstream, but to no avail. They have no faith in the Constitution, democracy or democratic institutions. Nor have they responded to appeals to abjure violence, surrender their arms, and head for the negotiating table. Their brand of Maoism is not based on ideology, but on extortion. They are the enemies of the country and ought to be dealt with severely.
yours, etc., soumita paul, kolkata, 4 june.
Fatal acid attack
SIR, ~ The death of a 25-year-old nurse, Preeti Rathee, is a national shame. She had just arrived at Mumbai&’s Bandra railway station by Garib Rath Express, when an unidentified assailant threw acid on her face.
  The tragedy has provoked widespread outrage in Delhi, where her relatives have decided not to cremate her body until certain demands are met.
India prides itself on a string of achievements ~ the first woman President, Pratibha Patil; the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar; and the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi. Yet the treatment of women has disgraced the country.
There are reports of female foeticide, gangrape, dowry deaths, and acid attack, to name but a few forms of crime against women. The acid attack on Preeti has trashed the traditional values of the country.
yours, etc., ramesh g jethwani, bangalore, 5 june.

Options in Syria
SIR, ~ This is with reference to your excellent editorial, “Elusive peace” (3 June). Nothing seems to be working to end the hostilities in Syria. Desperate situations call for desperate solutions. NATO, led by the USA, should threaten Bashr al-Assad with dire consequences in an effort to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table.
  If this doesn’t work, a limited offensive can be launched against both the rebels and the regime. But before that, the USA, Russia and China must reach a consensus. The conflict has the potential to become a conflagration that can engulf the whole of West Asia.
yours, etc., aranya sanyal, siliguri, 4 june.

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