The Election Commission (EC), considered an independent constitutional body, is losing its reputation (“EC notice to Rahul for TV interviews”, Dec. 14). Earlier, Election Commissioners were able to maintain the dignity and authority of the body. Now the EC seems to want to please those in power. When the EC took its own time to mention the dates for the Gujarat polls, it gave vague reasons. Now, on the complaint of BJP leaders, it has promptly sent notice to Rahul Gandhi for violating the Representation of the People Act. What about Mr. Modi who conducted what can only be called a road show when he went to vote? Will the EC consider that a violation of the code of conduct too?
N. Nagarajan,
Secunderabad
The EC’s move is neither the first nor is it going to be the last. During Assembly elections, such notices are issued against every party. What is the result though? Everyone knows that these are veiled threats and will be buried once the election results are out. We need an iron hand to rein in politicians who overstep the boundaries, but who will bell the cat?
N. Mahadevan,
Chennai
Protecting the police
Though the Tamil Nadu police has been credited with efficiency on par with any other top police force in the world, it is sad that it lacks adequate equipment to tackle criminals (“Inspector shot dead”, Dec. 14). When will the force be given bullet-proof vests? Isn’t that a must for any police force that is on such a dangerous mission? While we try to maintain law and order, the precious lives of our forces must be paramount.
B.S. Selvakumar,
Vellore
Facts and fiction
During the Gujarat campaign, the BJP did not miss a chance to polarise the Hindu vote bank by remarking, for instance, on Rahul Gandhi’s ‘temple visits’ (“The facts do not matter”, Dec. 14). But the fact that Mr. Modi could go as far as to blame a former Prime Minister of conspiring with Pakistan to influence the elections came as a surprise. It was unbecoming for a man occupying such high public office to indulge in such rhetoric without any valid proof. The rise of right-wing populism and growing echo chambers pose a serious threat to democracy. How does a voter decide which leader has society’s best in mind in such a case?
M. Nikhilesh,
Hyderabad
What about the fact that Mr. Modi has been referred to by the Congress as “chaiwala”, “neech”, “Yamraj”, “Ravana”, etc.? Caring for the truth applies equally to Mr. Modi’s critics. Selective quotes and one-sided criticism in the name of liberalism is doing more harm to society than good.
Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao,
Vijayawada
NPA menace
Mr. Modi’s attack on the United Progressive Alliance government for the NPA mess is difficult to accept (“NPAs are a UPA scam: Modi”, Dec. 14). The whole problem of NPAs is predominantly due to bad corporate loans. If Mr. Modi castigates the previous dispensation after ruling for three and a half years, what is the remedy? The bitter truth is that the present government has not taken effective action against wilful corporate default, which is the root cause of the problem. Bank unions have been demanding stringent action against defaulters and amendments to criminal laws to make wilful default a criminal offence. The proposed Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill exposes the government’s inability to take strong action against the NPA menace. Whatever steps that have been taken so far for recovery of bad loans can only be described as too little and too late. What prevents the government from going after wilful corporate defaulters?
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi
A proud moment
It is heartening to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi commission India’s first modern conventional submarine, INS Kalvari, in Mumbai (“Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari, built in Mazagon Dock, inducted into Navy”, Dec. 14). However, I would like to point out to Mr. Modi, who said that INS Kalvari is an excellent example of ‘Make in India’, that the submarine’s construction began on May 23, 2009 and was actually running behind schedule.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad
