Leave them alone

• Sir - The article, "Calling Rikki Tikki Tavi" (Feb 18), about the writer's quest for an Indian mongoose, is charmingly written. However, it sets a dangerous precedent. The article does not explain why the writer is looking for a mongoose; even if she did not intend to buy one, she should have made it clear at the start that acquiring a mongoose violates the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. All native wildlife, including birds and animals not considered vermin, are protected by this act. Thanks to the flourishing illicit pet trade, mongooses have suffered greatly. They are also illegally killed for their hair, which is used to make paintbrushes. The last thing we need is an increase in people's desire to acquire this unfortunate animal.

Neha Sinha,

Delhi

Stem the rot

• Sir - There used to be a time in Indian politics when men of letters and robust character used to fight elections. Their objective was to serve the people of the country selflessly. Things, since then, have drastically changed. Among the present crop of lawmakers, an overwhelming percentage have criminal records and cases pending against them, and most of them enter the political arena with the sole aim of fulfilling their vested interest. They view political life as a kind of 'investment opportunity' through which they hope to reap rich dividends once they are elected. It is a shame that the portraits of such people are often hung in the assembly houses of various states.

In this context, the Supreme Court must be lauded for directing the Central government to come out with a "permanent mechanism" to monitor the assets of lawmakers and their associates, such as family members, so that they can be disqualified even without a formal conviction if their assets are found to be disproportionate ("Asset-surge threat to MPs", Feb 17). This landmark decision, if implemented properly, can help clean up the mess that India's political system is in. However, it remains to be seen if and when the government will act on the order.

James Davis,

Jamshedpur

Grave insult

• Sir - The chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mohan Bhagwat, deserves the sternest criticism for his comments involving his organization and the army ("Rush to douse RSS army fire", Feb 13). He claimed that the RSS possesses the ability to prepare an 'army' to fight for the country within three days if need be, unlike the Indian army which would take months to prepare for such a situation. In their usual attempts at damage control, RSS leaders have already claimed that Bhagwat's remark was misinterpreted. The latter also said that RSS workers are always ready to make supreme sacrifices for India. Would it be unfair to say that such a comment undermines the army's dedication to the country?

Citizens look up to the army for the sacrifices it makes. Building a strong army takes a lot of effort and skill. An immense amount of time is required to train and equip soldiers to defend the nation successfully. Bhagwat must apologize for his words.

S.S. Paul,

Nadia

• Sir - It is a matter of shame that the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and ministers supported Mohan Bhagwat over his controversial remarks about the army. They are jumping to his defence as though he is the prime minister of the country.

Bhagwat said that the RSS can prepare an army within three days to fight for the country. This is ironic, because the RSS has no history of having fought in any capacity for the nation, neither during the freedom movement nor afterwards. On the contrary, it has always tried to divide India along communal lines. Bhagwat's comment was a major insult to the army, as it questioned the methods of training adopted to prepare our soldiers, and also implied that RSS workers are better than our army men in terms of discipline and training.

Abdul Jabbar,

Patna

• Sir - It would be dangerous to allow the formation and growth of a sectarian militia in India, as is prevalent in nations such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These nations have suffered considerably on account of these militias. No religious organization should be allowed to form military outfits or rule over the nation in any capacity. This would be in direct violation of our Constitution. The Indian army cannot be complemented by a religious militia.

Sujit De,

Calcutta

• Sir - It was shameful that the RSS chief made remarks that undermined the dignity of the Indian army. The latter protect the nation's borders at all times and are willing to give their lives for the nation.

A. Hammad,

Kanpur

Safety first

• Sir - It is a matter of grave concern that the Calcutta Municipal Corporation has found certain kinds of bottled water to be unfit for drinking. In the past, there have been reports of spurious masalas, medicines, milk and ghee being sold. The government should take immediate steps to stop the selling of adulterated food and unsafe water, and mete out exemplary punishment to those responsible for releasing such products in the market.

A.S. Mehta,

Calcutta

Poor show

• Sir — The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meet was held in Patna. Normally such events are organized to showcase the achievements of the state. Unfortunately, legislators of the Rashtriya Janata Dal decided to stage a walk-out in front of the delegates of 52 countries. The episode made a mockery of the decorum expected of Bihar’s legislators. The CPA meet was not the correct venue to protest against the speech of the deputy chief minister, Sushil Kumar Modi.
In fact, Modi had said nothing that deserved such a response. He was speaking of the credibility of legislatures being brought into question because of corruption. It was in this context that he mentioned that four former chief ministers are in jail because of corruption. The RJD overreacted and alleged that Modi had insulted Lalu Prasad, who is currently in prison after being convicted in a fodder scam case. Was Modi’s speech factually incorrect?

If the RJD felt that Modi had insulted Prasad in front of international dignitaries, it could have issued a statement against the deputy chief minister instead of staging a noisy walk-out. Perhaps the RJD wanted to embarrass the government before the start of an important event. Significantly, the leader of the Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, who was supposed to be one of the speakers at the CPA meet, decided to skip the event in order to visit the village of a martyred jawan. 
Tejashwi had every right to visit the martyr’s family. But he could have postponed his trip by a day and attended the inaugural function. 

Manmohan Krishna,
Patna

Soft target

• Sir — Rail stations have witnessed violence by candidates because of a change of criteria in recruitment by the railways. No passenger has been injured in the stone pelting, but the movement of trains has been adversely affected and loss of property reported. People from outside Bihar are having to think twice before boarding a train crossing the state.

The candidates should have chosen a better way to petition the railway board. They could have even approached the judiciary. Instead, they resorted to violence. The railways has become a soft target for agitating groups, including Maoists. When an accident takes place at an unmanned crossing, the blame goes to the railways and the route is blocked by protesters. Political parties target the railways during bandhs.

The railways has many flaws and needs improvement. But it deserves better than being a target for one pretext or another. The demonstrators must realize that the common man has to pay for the loss caused by such agitations.

Smita Kumar,
Patna

Cine magic

• Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Biju Janata Dal appear to be relying more on movie stars than politicians to win elections. The presence of a large number of film personalities during the campaign for the Bijepur assembly bypoll suggests that political parties consider them to be useful for attracting voters. While there is no denying the crowd-pulling powers of the members of the film fraternity, their apparent lack of political acumen is a cause for concern. Unfortunately, this development also lead to the relegation of real political issues to the background. 

Himesh Mohanty,
Bhubaneswar 

•  Sir — There seems to be a mad scramble by the political parties to rope in filmstars, both for campaigning as well as contesting elections. However, if we go by past record, celebrities have not done too well in the electoral arena. The experiences of Bijay Mohanty, Aparajita Mohanty and Tatwa Prakash Satapathy aka Papu Pom Pom, in the 2014 general elections are cases in point. 

Anandjit Patnaik, 
Cuttack 

• Sir — One wonders what the reason behind the political parties’ hankering for film personalities could be. Have the political leaders in Odisha lost all their charm? Or was there a dearth of serious issues in Bijepur? Bijepur is a backward area in Bargarh district. There were so many issues that the candidates could have raised, such as poor health services and irrigation network, poverty and unemployment. 
Film stars might have added colour to electioneering, but it remains to be seen how far they are able to influence voters. 

Santosh Meher,
Bargarh 

• Sir — It seems that movie stars in Odisha are making a beeline to join political parties. Some are even switching their allegiances. After Mahasweta Roy, another veteran actress, 
Aparajita Mohanty, recently joined the BJP. A few other actors might follow in their footsteps. However, the voters have matured over the years and they will not fall for the actors’ charms so easily. We are not living in the 1980s and the 1990s anymore.

Subrat Sahis,
Sambalpur 

• Sir — Both the BJD and the BJP tried desperately to win the Bijepur bypoll. They relied on star campaigners to woo the voters. This does not speak well for our democracy. 

Birendra Bhujabal,
Khurda