Election strategy
Given the BJP’s ambition to rule the length and breadth of this country, the party is likely to increasingly resort to the strategy of engineering resignations from MLAs belonging to the ruling party, wherever the BJP is not in power. Thus, any electoral verdict at the State level favouring any party other than the BJP is likely to be undone by the BJP sooner or later, using questionable means. The lasting damage that such utterly immoral and undemocratic practices can do to our democracy needs no elaboration. The Prime Minister has more than once proclaimed that he and his government are committed to protecting and nurturing democracy in this country. If he really meant that, I suggest the leaders in his party think about letting the government pass legislation to the effect that any person resigning his/her membership of Parliament/Assembly shall, on the acceptance of the resignation, not only cease to be a member of Parliament/Assembly but also render himself/herself ineligible for election to any public office for the next five years.
This amendment to the relevant article of the Constitution can be made in not more than a week as the ruling NDA has sufficient numbers in both Houses of Parliament. But, going by the government ‘s past record, forgoing such a tool that forms an important part of the BJP’s strategy for expansion, is unlikely.
G.G. Menon,
Tripunithura, Kerala
Need for caution
At a time when new coronavirus cases have once again started rising in some States, one wonders whether the decision to allow spectators, even at half capacity, for the cricket Test at Ahmedabad was a wise one, considering the probable risk of disease spreading. From what we saw on TV, some spectators did not seem to bother about wearing their masks.
A. Mohan,
Chennai
Other institutes
The time has come for the Centre to instead start funding and investing in State-sponsored old premier engineering institutions, such as the M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur, that are even older than the first IIT. This would cost the government much less than to spend much in establishing a new IIT. It would also help older institutions aspire to reach the level of the IITs (Editorial page, “Too many IITs, unrealistic expectations”, February 20).
Milind Kumar Sharma,
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
