Number check

Sir ? I have a solution to Calcutta?s traffic problem. We can implement a car planning programme in one of the following ways. We can modify China?s family planning model of one child per family, with one car per family. This way we will not have unwanted cars on the road. Or we can take the Indian approach and determine which religious group has a tendency to own more cars and then have their own religious organizations determine how to cope with the problem, while other religious groups put pressure on them. Either approach should curb the car ?crush?.

Yours faithfully,
Abhik Ghosh, Calcutta

Politics on wheels

Sir ? The Supreme Court judge, N. Santosh Hegde, dismissed the PIL alleging Uma Bharti had dishonoured the national flag during her tiranga yatra, saying that no one noted similar dishonour to the flag by cricket fans (?Uma gets shot in the arm?, Sept 14). But is there no difference between the two? Cricket fans wave the flag in patriotic fervour to cheer the team, while for Bharti the tricolour is a political ?toy? to gain popularity. She had already dishonoured the tricolour by hoisting it in an area deemed sensitive, and now she is trying to cover up the consequent fiasco by embarking on a tiranga yatra.

The tricolour gets more gun-salutes than even the president, and Bharti has made it the centre of controversy. It is really a pity that we should have representatives like her.

Yours faithfully,
Sourav Sengupta, Durgapur

Sir ? The Bharatiya Janata Party has always used yatras featuring high-profile leaders to mobilize people. L.K. Advani charioted the Ram rath yatra in 1990, the Swarna Jayanti rath yatra in 1997 and the Bharat Uday yatra in 2004. Uma Bharti is the party?s new mascot to climb unto a rath and wave the tricolour, giving rise to a new political drama. This is the BJP?s gambit to revive itself, since its campaign against ?tainted? ministers has rebound on it.

Yours faithfully,
Arjyalopa Mishra, Cuttack

Sir ? Now that Uma Bharti and her party have been thrown out of power and have nothing to do, they are out to do mischief. This is evident from the fact that all those who attempted to destroy Afzal Khan?s tomb in Maharashtra were outsiders (?Focus on Tricolour and tomb?, Sept 13). This also brings into focus how the party misuses funds and misleads the poor youth. Why doesn?t the BJP bring out a ?shiksha yatra? instead or stage a ?bhrashtachar roko? and perform ?brothel todo? Operation?

Yours faithfully,
T.A. Khan, Calcutta

Sir ? The same Karnataka state government which issued an arrest warrant against Uma Bharti and put her in custody, set her free. The only outcome of this drama has been the catapulting of Bharti to political centre-stage. Perhaps, Indian politics should be called ?yatra? politics. Besides L.K. Advani?s yatras, there was Murli Manohar Joshi?s ?Ekta yatra?, and Narendra Modi?s post-Godhra ?Gourav yatra?. Instead of setting off on yatras, if only our politicians would concentrate on national welfare, then the people?s hatred of politics and politicians would diminish.

Yours faithfully,
B. Rath, Cuttack

Sir ? The tiranga yatra is nothing but a political gimmick. Assembly polls are round the corner in Maharashtra and the BJP is all set to exploit the issue to raise passions. One can also be sure that the whole issue will at some point be given a communal touch by emotive statements from the leaders.

Yours faithfully,
Shadab Ahsan, Gaya