In all strictness

Sir ' 'Monica charms Bhopal police' (Dec 8), is expected of the Indian police force. A fugitive and an actor by profession, Monica Bedi, is obviously using all the tricks up her sleeve to have her way with the cops. Her place of interrogation should be changed immediately and the police told that such immature behaviour on their part will not only give Bedi a much-desired advantage over the authorities, but also jeopardize the investigation. If Bedi is as an accomplice of Abu Salem, one of the masterminds of the Mumbai blasts, she deserves to be treated more strictly.

Yours faithfully,
Sumant Poddar, Calcutta

Braveheart

Sir ' Rahul Gandhi's comments about Bihar during his meeting with Bill Gates were well-timed and well-directed ('Rahul opens Bihar window for Bill', Dec 8). The Gandhi junior is known to be media-shy and timid by nature. For him to have spoken up on suffering suggests that he was comfortable in the presence of the IT tycoon. It is probably Gates's commitment to his cause that helped Rahul Gandhi open up. It is also refreshing to see the young Gandhi's concern for a region which has long been neglected.

The basis for the appeal for help was also rightfully chosen ' kala azar has been killing hundreds in north Bihar. Recently, Rahul Gandhi's statement about lawlessness in Bihar had created ripples in the corridors of power. His reiterating his concern for Bihar shows that he is yet to become a cold, calculating politician who can only think of ways to safeguard his chair. In one stroke, he has managed to silence his critics, and he has also shown that action sometimes speaks louder than words. With this gesture, the Gandhi scion has won a million hearts. We need more youths like him. Perhaps, taking a cue, other young politicos could also express their noble ideas about human uplift.

Yours faithfully,
Bijoy Ranjan Dey,

Tinsukia, Assam

Sir ' The four day visit of the Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates, reputed to be the richest businessman in the world, will definitely boost the image of our country in the business world. Other countries would also take a cue from his decision to invest $1.7 billion in India for the development of information technology. It is also heartening to note that as a co-founder of Gates Foundation, he will support and sponsor anti-TB vaccine use in India. Gates was motivated into taking the decision after his visit to many destitute homes in New Delhi and Chennai. Perhaps Rahul Gandhi's suggestion that he do something about controlling kala azar in Bihar will also go a long way in helping the state overcome some of its health concerns.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Angul, Orissa

Sir ' The report, 'Granny lights up Rahul's show' (Dec 6) must have gladdens the hearts of many Congressmen and Nehru-Gandhi loyalists. Though there are many grey-haired politicians, there seems to be a serious dearth of leaders in the Congress. It is unfortunate that a party which once had leaders like M.K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri has now become limited to one family. Rahul Gandhi, who now briefs heads of multinational corporations on where they should put their money (one wonders why it was Bihar and not Uttar Pradesh), had claimed only the other day that he could be prime minister, now has his granny in the fray. But now that the Italian granny has come to town, will the Congress not devise ways to find a more concrete role for her in the leadership circus' If Indians could accept an Italian bahu, couldn't they accept an Italian nani, especially when she 'did not show any sign of fatigue or boredom' with all the attention she got'

Yours faithfully,
S.B. Gupta, Calcutta