PICTURE SPEAK

"Rail Roader", June 6

"The UPA Government has made one compromise after another. The country had never seen political blackmail of this kind."

Rajnish, on e-mail

Steam Roller

The decision to dissolve the Bihar Assembly is neither noble nor honourable ("Rail Roader", June 6). It was a pre-emptive strike whose sole purpose was to prevent the NDA from forming a government in Patna. With a pliant governor more than willing to do the bidding of his political masters, the UPA has once again done what it excels in-deny others what it cannot have for itself. It has trampled upon the verdict of the people with alarming impunity.

Hemavathi S., Hyderabad

Bihar Governor Buta Singh had no option but to dissolve the Assembly. No one criticised the unethical manner in which some parties were trying to get the requisite numbers. The anti-defection law must be amended to prevent switching of loyalties at will.

S.M. Hammad, Kolkata

Lalu Prasad Yadav has played a masterstroke. By putting the Election Commission on the backfoot over the Chhapra controversy, he has ensured that the elections will be held only sometime after September. For the EC now cannot accede to any demands by the NDA for early polls in the state.

Indira Chaganty, on e-mail

Lalu has shown that only bullies can flourish in Indian politics. It is sad that nobody protests when he hijacks the electoral process and subverts the verdict of the people.

Dhirendra Mishra, on e-mail

The dissolution of the Bihar Assembly can rightly be called the murder of democracy. Why couldn't the Centre wait for the mandatory six months before doing so? It is clear the decision was motivated by the fact that the UPA was afraid the NDA would succeed in forming a government in the state.

S.P. Sharma, Mumbai

Within hours of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh waxing eloquent on their Government's "commitment" to democracy, the Centre ordered the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly.

Jayatheertha S.A., Hyderabad

We should remember that every party was given a chance to form the government in Bihar. But what the NDA was doing was horse-trading at its worst. Buta Singh did the right thing by recommending dissolution of the Assembly. Fresh elections will, I hope, provide a clearer mandate.

D.B.N. Murthy, Bangalore

Bihar has been ruined, not only in terms of political culture, but also in terms of tradition, ethics, morality and above all of finance, by the direct and indirect rule of Lalu. He has many firsts to his discredit-a cabinet minister attacking the Election Commission and fighting openly with a cabinet colleague.

S. Bakthavathsalan, Chennai

Going by the current state of affairs in Bihar, it is likely that the elections will again throw up a fractured mandate.

K.R.S. Krishnan, Mumbai

It is sad that the Congress has been giving in to Lalu's unjust and coercive demands. It is equally surprising that the Congress has done nothing to revive its organisational cadre and rejuvenate the party in Bihar and seems to be content being a junior partner to the RJD.

P.K. Srivastava, on e-mail

The sight of governor after governor using his powers to play political games reduces our democracy to a farce. It is sad that a man like Manmohan Singh had stooped to such a level.

A.V. Karnik, Mumbai

It'd have been interesting to see if Buta Singh would have taken the same decision if the Congress had tried to form a government in Bihar by luring away MLAs from other parties.

Major (Retd) Sardar Singh, Jalandhar

A state like Bihar cannot afford another election so soon. The money spent on another round of polls would have been enough to take care of the basic needs of a large number of people.

Ramesh Y., on e-mail

It is a pity that the UPA Government is being held hostage politically by the RJD and economically by the communists.

Anurag Khanna, on e-mail

What happened in Bihar will happen again and again no matter which political party is in power. Its political system has been hijacked by criminals. It is a total waste of time and money to have another election. The only way out is to keep it under President's rule indefinitely.

Debgiri Bhowmick, on e-mail

The dissolution of the Bihar Assembly shows the levels to which politicians have stooped. Does the UPA propose to dissolve any elected body if it cannot form a government on its own? It is difficult to believe that Buta Singh could have taken such a decision without prompting from his political masters.

Tushar Rathee, Kolkata
How can you dissolve something which had not even come into existence?
Inder Nath, on e-mail

ROLE MODEL

Sunil Dutt was one of the very few public figures whom we can unreservedly call a good person ("True Grit", June 6). As MP and Union minister he never really fitted into the Congress culture. Dutt was a flag bearer of honesty in a sea of iniquity. This was probably why he was elected from North Bombay five times in spite of being up against strong candidates. J. Akshobhya, Mysore Dutt evoked genuine respect because he was a very good human being and a nationalist to the core. Despite all the problems he faced, he never compromised on his principles. Honest politicians like him are an extinct breed. Madhu R.D. Singh, Ambala Cantonmentl The courage and determination with which Dutt faced all problems in life reminds me of the song Na muh chhupa ke jiyo aur na sar jhuka ke jiyo/Ghamon ka daur bhi aaye to muskura ke jiyo. S. Balakrishnan, Jamshedpur

Change of Scene

The falling viewership simply proves that the so-called entertainment gurus have run short of ideas ("Star Wars", June 6). Hopefully this will allow the conscientious ones to bring the concerns of the middle class to the fore. The channels should now free themselves from the clutches of programmes filled with extra-marital affairs, plastic chat shows and, above all, game shows which virtually encourage gambling.

Arvind K. Pandey, on e-mail

Speak Easy

The BJP certainly had a strong "always speaking" brigade ("The Right in Denial", June 6). M. Venkaiah Naidu was the most loquacious president the party ever had. And there was a time when it seemed that Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad were part of the NDTV news team.

V.N. Gopal, Chennai

The morass the BJP finds itself in is of its own making. Its leaders are too noisy and talk endlessly on non-issues. If the party wants to regain lost ground it should immediately stop Sonia-bashing and cynical criticism of the Left. It should realise that voters don't take kindly to personal attacks. It is time the party woke up to the fact that that there is more to the aspirations of the people than Hindutva.

Vilas P. Hegde, Bangalore

Intolerant Display

People are saying Jo Bole So Nihaal insults the Sikh community ("Unfair Trial by Fire", June 6). But aren't the fanatics responsible for the blasts in the Delhi cinema halls insulting their religion by indulging in such attacks? No religion preaches violence or allows the killing of innocent people.

Amjad K. Maruf, on e-mail

More often than not, it is not social conscience but religious bigotry at play behind protests against films. As a people we are becoming increasingly intolerant. Those who claim to be the custodians of culture display the worst form of uncultured behaviour. The tragedy is that people have to acquiesce in the demands of such hooligans since the law does little to protect them.

Group Captain S.N. Sharma, Gurgaon

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