Ominous signs

• Sir - The new guidelines announced by the University Grants Commission will hinder the pursuit of higher education in the country. The recommendations are inimical to the interests of educational institutions. These directives will also prevent New Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University from awarding 'deprivation points' to students from the weaker sections of society. The editorial, "Deep cuts" (April 4), rightly points out that the UGC might be holding the "purse strings for higher education", but it is, after all, only a supervisory body. The UGC may be well within its rights to suggest changes, but it should not try to enforce its decisions on institutes of higher education. This violates the autonomy of universities. The move also appears to be premeditated as students from JNU have been at loggerheads with the Union government since 2016.

The new guidelines fail to uphold the rights of students. Such actions by the central body may lead to disorder on university campuses. These policies must be reconsidered in order to address the problems plaguing educational institutions.

Yours faithfully,

P.B. Saha, Calcutta

Be friends

• Sir - Kanwal Sibal's article, "Looking both ways" (April 4), raises pertinent points. India's ongoing bonhomie with the United States of America should not come at the cost of the former's relationship with Russia. The erstwhile Soviet Union had helped India in several moments of crisis. Russia is still India's largest defence partner. During the liberation war of Bangladesh, the US attempted to intimidate India by sending a naval fleet to the Bay of Bengal. But the move was rendered unsuccessful as the USSR dispatched a nuclear-armed flotilla to counter the threat.

International politics has undergone radical changes after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Once the Cold War ended, America survived as the lone superpower, and Russia was reduced to a regional power. The latter is now an ally of China, which has strong ties with Pakistan. This triad has compelled India to tilt towards the US. But cordial India-US relations should not alarm Russia. It must desist from joining the Sino-Pakistan axis. In this game of geopolitics, India must ensure that it maintains good relations with all the three bigger nations.

Yours faithfully,

Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri

Tough play

• Sir - The Australian cricket team resorted to unfair means throughout the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar series. It is well known that the Australians play aggressive cricket. Their methods include on-field sledging and excessive banter to unsettle batsmen in the opposition. But they crossed all limits of decency this time.

The Australian captain, Steve Smith, tried to seek advice from the dressing room with regard to the decision review system when he was declared leg before wicket. He did this even though the rules only allow him to consult his batting partner. Smith even called Murali Vijay a "cheat". In spite of all this, the chairman of Cricket Australia, David Peever, said that Smith had "demonstrated the qualities that Australians expect from their Test captain".

The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, was justified in saying that he no longer considers Australian cricketers to be his friends. The chief executive officer of Cricket Australia took a dig at Kohli when he said that he was not sure if the Indian captain knew how to spell the word, 'sorry'. The overly-competitive Australians are killing the spirit of the game.

Yours faithfully,

Sunil Garodia, Calcutta

• Sir - The Indian cricket team managed to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Test series 2-1 and retained the International Cricket Council's Test championship mace. In the last Test match, Ajinkya Rahane's adroit captaincy, K.L. Rahul's half-centuries in both innings and Kuldip Yadav's four-wicket haul deserve special mention.

Yours faithfully,

S.S. Paul, Nadia

Life lesson

• Sir - Air India had put Ravindra Gaikwad, a parliamentarian from the Shiv Sena, on its no-fly list after he assaulted a crew member. Other Indian airline companies such as Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir also followed suit. Initially, the MP showed no remorse for his crime. Instead, he bragged about the violence, and even threatened to sue the airline. However, Gaikwad has now issued a regret letter, and the civil aviation ministry has asked Air India to end the boycott.

The government's reluctance to take any action against the errant MP after the violent incident must be criticized. Even the Speaker of the Lok Sabha asked the airline to resolve the matter amicably instead of admonishing Gaikwad for his unparliamentary behaviour. It is true that Gaikwad needs to attend Parliament and cannot always travel by train owing to time constraints. But the airline also has the right to debar a passenger on grounds of safety. Like most Indian VIPs who believe that they deserve special treatment, Gaikwad, too, felt entitled to a business class seat even though the flight he was on was an all-economy one. The editorial, "Doors closing" (April 1), has rightly stated that a "government is more than a party". The failure to support the airlines' ban on Gaikwad has destroyed the credibility of the entire political fraternity.

Yours faithfully,

I.N. Banerjee, Calcutta

Reaching out

• Sir - Defeat often has a mellowing effect on people. Naveen Patnaik is no exception. After the less- than-satisfactory performance of the Biju Janata Dal in the panchayat elections in Odisha, Patnaik, who used to shy away from meeting people, seems to be making a conscious effort to change his image. In order to appear accessible to the residents of the state, he is mingling freely with citizens and, at times, even allowing them to take selfies with him.

Recently, Patnaik surprised people by visiting a bookstore along with his sister, Gita Mehta. The chief minister spoke to other customers and allowed them to click selfies with him. On another occasion, the students of Rama Devi Women's University got a chance to pose with Patnaik when they met him at the secretariat.

The change in Patnaik's personality is bound to reap dividends for his party.

Yours faithfully,

Bidhan Mohapatra,

Bhubaneswar

• Sir - A transformation has been noticed in the behaviour of veteran politician, Naveen Patnaik. The chief minister has probably realized that his aloofness has created a distance between him and the public and that this hampers the image of his party. This change has been seen after the mediocre performance of the BJD in the recent ruralelections. It was good to see Patnaik posing for a selfie with students.

It is also heartening that Patnaik gave the foot soldiers of his party a chance to vent their grievances directly to him. Some of these people have been associated with the BJD for about 19 years, but they never got the opportunity to communicate with the highest leadership of the party.

Yours faithfully,

Sima Das, Cuttack

• Sir - It is reassuring to see the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, making an effort to mix with the people. It is important that elected representatives remain accessible to citizens. People should be able to share their problems directly with the lawmakers. The step taken by Patnaik will improve his image and go a long way in shoring up his waning popularity.

Yours faithfully,

Monalisa Sahu, Bhubaneswar

Sir - The chief minister is known for being reserved and media-shy. However, of late, he has opened up and is often seen interacting with common people. Naveen Patnaik is possibly trying to change his political strategy after the average performance of the BJD in the panchayat polls. He should have done this much earlier. But it is not too late yet and Patnaik is on the right path.

Yours faithfully,

Sitaram Sahoo, Kendrapara

• Sir - Naveen Patnaik has turned over a new leaf. While the change is welcome, such a transformation can be used against him. Patnaik may be accused of putting up a show to appease voters. Moreover, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been proactively reaching out to the people for quite some time now. The results have been impressive. The BJP put up a spectacular show in the local elections. Keeping in mind the incumbency factor, the BJD should do its best to win over the people. There has to be consistency in trying to connect with the masses; it cannot be a publicity stunt.

Yours faithfully,

Hochimin Mehta, Rourkela

Noble feat

• Sir - Abhishek Pallav, a doctor-turned-cop who hails from Bihar, has been receiving accolades after he saved the life of a dreaded Maoist whom he had shot in an encounter recently. Pallav practiced medicine before joining Indian Police Service. He had shot the Maoist during an encounter in the dense forests of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. But he did not ignore the wounded man; he gave him medical assistance before rushing him to the hospital. As a result, the man's life was saved.

This incident reminded me of another one. When I was posted as the medical officer-in-charge of a primary health centre in Patna district, I was called one day by the local police station to examine a criminal who had sustained injuries in a police encounter. When I reached the police station, the wounded man was bleeding profusely, and needed immediate medical aid to stop the bleeding. I asked the police personnel to transport him to the primary health centre at once. As soon as I reach the healthcare centre, I prepared the operation theatre and the staff so that the patient could be tended to as soon as he arrived. To my dismay, he did not arrive; I found out that he died on his way to the hospital.

Maybe the man's life could have been saved if the police had rushed him to the hospital on time. The Chhattisgarh cop was able to save the Maoist's life because his experience as a doctor before he joined the police service had sensitized him towards the pain of a wounded person.

Yours faithfully,

Ajay Kumar,

Patna

Fix the problem

• Sir - The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Sushil Modi, recently alleged that the Bihar labour minister, Vijay Prakash, had demanded extortion money from a diamond trader who opened a diamond cutting and polishing factory in Patna. The unit halted production six months ago. If there is any truth in Modi's claim, the state government should immediately remove Prakash from his post. A serious probe needs to be conducted. Bihar attracts very little investment anyway. When an industrialist finally sets up a factory here, and reports of such shameful incidents emerge, it further reduces the possibility of investors coming to Bihar.

In order to help industry flourish in the state, the Nitish Kumar-led government needs to increase industrial areas and earmark land for the setting up of factories. The industrial sector is mainly dependent on the small- and medium-scale industries. Large manufacturing firms shun Bihar because the state government does not provide land or any other incentives for investment. An industry-oriented special package from the state government can help boost the industrial sector in Bihar.

Yours faithfully,

Raj Khetan, Patna