Aggressive acts
The ‘steps’ by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, now “Bulldozer Baba” when it comes to rioters and land grabbers, seem to be leading to something else. Soon after the riots during a Ram Navami procession, the Madhya Pradesh government seems to have emulated his moves and gone the bulldozer route to ‘prove’ that it is being tough against rioters. There is a core issue in this. Can the government turn judge, jury and executioner when there are courts, laws and rules? It is dangerous to allow a “bulldozer” to become the method to bully a community, or for that matter act against those who are critical of a government. Such acts can also create fear in the minds of people who may want a change of government but would prefer to vote for the ruling party to be on the safe side.
N. Nagarajan,
Secunderabad
The aggressive pursuit of an agenda using excessive use of political power to target a minority community on the one hand and with utter disregard to the rule of law in order to expand a vote bank among the majority community on the other will only come at a huge cost to the nation (Editorial, “Collective punishment”, April 14). It is disquieting that a political agenda of maligning a minority community seems to be the highest priority of the current political leadership in the backdrop of demagoguery and rabble-rousing becoming key to winning elections. It is baffling to witness the deafening silence of the top leader of the country. What is needed the most is the intervention of the judiciary to prevent political power from going beyond its remit and polarising the electorate.
N. Raveendra Babu,
Hyderabad
That the demolitions have been carried out by the government of a State is a clear indication of decay in the law and order of the country. The Centre’s silence is strange. Does this not prove that it is being supportive of this devastation? Why is there no visible expression of public dismay over such acts by certain governments?
Mohammed Ikramulla,
Hyderabad
Vindictive, unconstitutional and totally one-sided actions being taken by the administrative machinery in certain States make it appear as if there is a race to plumb further depths in depravity in a growing agenda of hate. Razing the property and houses of alleged rioters without following due process not only lacks any legal force but also callously disregards any notion of fairness or humane sensitivity towards families. Enforcing such collective punishment is barbaric, turns the clock back on legal and constitutional jurisprudence, and ends up disreputing India’s standing among nations in claiming to have a democratic and civilised political system. The judiciary has also failed to respond with justice to such cruel and communal machinations. One hopes that institutions and officers who swear by the Constitution are able to learn some lessons from how the London police has upheld its independence in indicting the British Prime Minister and his Cabinet Minister for having flouted the government’s lockdown rules. Unless such street violence and public injustice is checked, both .sane religiosity and the idea of India itself will remain under threat.
Firoz Ahmad,
New Delhi
Hindi-India
I write this letter as a retired Indian Statistical Service officer. The conclusion drawn in the article, “The real script behind the call for a Hindi-India” (Editorial page, April 14), that the growth of Hindi speakers in 2011 is high because of the inclusion of languages such as Bhojpuri, is strange. Such languages were classified as a part of Hindi even in earlier censuses. The real reason is the differentials in fertility rates between Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi speaking areas. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, etc. had much lower fertility from the 1980s when compared to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. The low level of education in the Hindi-speaking areas contributed substantially to high fertility in the Hindi-speaking areas. I would not agree with the line about Bangla having “negative growth” as well. The number of speakers has risen by 8% — from 8.3 crore to 9.7 crore. The decline in the percentage of speakers of most languages other than Hindi is due to the disproportionate rise of Hindi speakers, aided substantially by higher fertility.
K. Narayanan Unni,
Ernakulam, Kerala
At the IPL
In the IPL, the row of defeats the Mumbai Indians have experienced are certain to haunt the team (‘Sport’ page, “Mayank-Dhawan show helps Kings jump to third”, April 14). Hit-man Rohit Sharma who got out early after his blistering start, followed by Ishan Kishan proved costly in the last outing. Teams which are on top of the table have been helped by the peak performance of young blood, the key factor in this edition of the IPL.
A.P. Thiruvadi,
Chennai
Geriatric care centre
It is extremely encouraging that the noted geriatric physician, Dr. V.S Natarajan, has been able to ensure that the project, his dream for 40 years, has finally been opened (Chennai, “Geriatic day care centre opened in Mylapore”, April 14). Elders need to be a part of India’s growth. That much thought has gone into the number of facilities on offer at the centre, either free of cost or available on nominal charges, is heartening. One hopes that this model of senior care is replicated across India.
Vidya Champaknath,
Chennai
