Piece of history

Sir ? The Congress-led coalition government has decided to commemorate Gandhiji?s Dandi march with great fanfare. But isn?t it sad that the party is found lacking when it comes to following some of Gandhi?s other ideas? The goings-on in Goa and Jharkhand would have surely put Bapu to shame, but not today?s Congressmen whose lust for political power knows no end. In Andhra Pradesh, where there is a Congress government in power, farmers continue to take their own lives, a far cry from the Mahatma?s dream of an independent India whose villages were well on the path to progress. It is a pity that Gandhi?s legacy in the Congress, as well as in much of India, lives on in the form of currency notes, or in this case, commemorative marches. Why has it never occurred to Congressmen that a better way of paying tribute to Gandhi is turning his words to deed?

Yours faithfully,
Aloke Mukherjee, Calcutta

Promises to keep

Sir ? The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has very good reasons to blame political parties for not passing the women?s reservation bill (?Sonia with 25 steel maidens?, Mar 9). Politicians have been pledging their support for the bill for years now but very little seems to have happened in terms of implementation. In the parliament, the party in power makes solemn promises, only to forget about the bill till the next elections. Isn?t it strange that a bill which supposedly enjoys the support of the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the left is yet to become a law?

Unfortunately, women politicians are also to be blamed for this In fact, many women politicians frown at the idea of women holding political clout in the country. Remember Sushma Swaraj?s acerbic comments about Sonia Gandhi becoming the prime minister? An International Labour Organization study pointed out that women represent half of the world?s adult population, a third of the official labour force, but receive a tenth of the world?s total income and own less than one per cent of world property. Such frightening statistics prove that it is all the more necessary to have the bill passed in a patriarchal society such as ours.

Even after five decades of achieving independence, most Indian women have to do without basic necessities such as food, shelter, education and employment. Worse, women are discriminated against in every walk of life. The bill, if passed, would make things better for them. Women?s organizations, cutting across political lines, should work together and pressurize the parties to pass the bill without further delay.

Yours faithfully,
Md Sabir Ansari, Aligarh

Sir ? Women, along with minorities and Dalits, have the power to make or break political fortunes in India. So why deny them their poli- tical rights? Don?t our politicians know that passing the women?s reservation bill, rather than giving income tax sops, is the right way of going about empowering women in this country?

Yours faithfully,
Anita Sen, Calcutta

Sir ? Politicians are infamous for reneging on their promises. So the impasse over the women?s reservation bill does not come as a surprise. Have we forgotten that India has had just one woman prime minister since independence? It is a pity that our netas continue to turn a blind eye to the political aspirations of women whose votes are crucial to win an election in India

Yours faithfully,
Raja Dutta, Calcutta

Sir ? In ?What do women really want? (Mar 9), Sreyashi Dastidar points out an inherent contradiction in the modern woman ? someone who votes, supports abortion, demands an equal share in property, and yet, is not averse to partake of Shivaratri celebrations. This duality explains why women have not been able to be treated at par with men in all spheres, including politics. Attending Shivaratri celebrations might have been compulsory for women in earlier centuries, but it is sad that the modern woman gives in to the same kind of demands even today. Perhaps feminists should try to make women think about why they take part in these observances in order to bring about a change in gender relations today.

Yours faithfully,
Anagh Pal, Calcutta

Breathing uneasy

Sir ? Vehicular pollution is largely responsible for a slew of ailments that have afflicted citizens ? heart diseases, bronchitis, asthma and so on. Making cars run on CNG fuel, gradually phasing out old vehicles along with the planting of more trees are the only ways in which we can find a solution to our breathing troubles.

Yours faithfully,
Keshab Kumar Chowdhury, Calcutta

Sir ? The other day, while waiting for the lights to change, I saw a police van belching black fumes. How can the government think about a strict enforcement of environmental norms when the cops go about flouting the rules with impunity?

Yours faithfully,
Satish Agrawal, Calcutta