:: Letters to Editor

India must tell oic to lay off

Oct.09 : Sir, This is not the first time that the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has issued irksome statements on Kashmir. However, this time it has crossed all limits by expressing concern over the recent happening in Shopian, and appointing a special envoy for Kashmir ostensibly to "‘bridge the gap" between India and Pakistan. It has now also spoken of monitoring the status of Indian Muslims. Obviously, India’s protests against earlier OIC statements on Jammu and Kashmir have failed to bring the organisation to its senses. Instead, the grouping of Islamic states is now posing as a self-appointed mediator between India and Pakistan. OIC needs to be bluntly told to keep off India’s internal affairs.

M.C. Joshi

Mahanagar, Lucknow

Give babus taste of pvt sector

Sir, Dilip Cherian’s article Putting an austere ring around paucity of ideas (October 4) aptly summarises a babu’s idea of being austere. The practical and effective meaning of austerity, however, is not giving up certain luxuries which our bureaucrats should have not got used to in the first place. While throwing out the useless among them and reducing the burden on the exchequer, the government should dispatch civil servants on deputation to the private sector in order to let them learn what challenges a private sector employee faces in order to enjoy the perks government officials take for granted. Once babus are blessed with a corporate mind, they will work towards getting effective feedback.

Aswini Kumar Patro

Via email

No one can be above the law

Sir, The reality check by Anand Teltumbde, Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s grandson, as to how the privileged dalits are consistently letting down the genuinely destitute dalits is quite scholarly as an appraisal (Dalits can’t be above law under any circumstances, October 2). Now it could be the turn of your columnist Kancha Ilaiah to throw light on the issue as he has consistently held the view in his articles that all dalits have been let down by the upper castes although reservation and other instruments of concessions to dalits have been around for decades.

Ramanand Shanbhag

Mulund (East), Mumbai

Dynasties in a democracy

Sir, Abraham Lincoln, who dazzlingly defined democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people, might be turning in his grave to know that the so-called vast, vibrant and dynamic democracy of India is being converted into a conglomerate of dubious dynasties. Dynasties have become an inseparable part of Indian politics. The cesspool of vice is expanding everyday. What a disgrace!

G. Virendra

Neelgin Road, Hubli

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Nitish losing caste game

Sir, The recent Khagaria massacre in Bihar is a sad reminder that caste is still an unresolved issue in the new millennium. When the very survival of a political system is based on discriminations of colour, race, religion, province and caste, it’s bound to backfire and collapse, opined American political scientist Christopher Langhorn. Bihar is the epicentre of casteism. Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s political strategy to counter Lalu Prasad Yadav was to build a caste coalition of a few backward castes and dalit communities. Now he’s hoist with his own petard.

Sumit S. Paul

Dr S M Avenue, Kolkata