Political pick

• Sir - The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has fielded Ram Nath Kovind, the former governor of Bihar, as its presidential candidate ("Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind is NDA's presidential candidate", June 19). The United Progressive Alliance, which is the largest Opposition group in Parliament, did not expect the BJP to choose a Dalit candidate. However, after the initial surprise, the UPA too has decided to go with a Dalit nominee, Meira Kumar, who served as the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The idea of choosing a candidate from a socially-disadvantaged section seems to have been the result of careful political consideration. There is no doubt that the backward classes deserve the same opportunities as their more affluent fellow citizens. However, it is a matter of concern that the process of choosing a candidate who would eventually occupy the highest office in the country, however nominal it might be in India's case, has been reduced to a senseless gimmick of winning over certain sections of the electorate. This does not bode well for the future of the nation.

Yours faithfully,

Akash Chowdhury, Calcutta

• Sir - The selection of Ram Nath Kovind as the BJP's presidential nominee was a master stroke by the party. It forced the Opposition to also field a Dalit candidate for the position. Both Kovind and Meira Kumar have contributed immensely to Indian politics and are worthy candidates. However, one did not expect the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, to lend his support to Kovind. The chief minister has gone against the wishes of his coalition partner, Lalu Prasad, in backing Kovind. These developments in Bihar might have a connection with the charges of corruption that Prasad and his kin are facing.

Finally, one hopes that the government is genuinely interested in improving the conditions of the Dalit community, and the decision to field Kovind is not mere tokenism.

Yours faithfully,

Janga Bahadur Sunuwar,

Jalpaiguri

• Sir - The editorial, "Special appeal" (June 23), is right in pointing out that the problems plaguing the nation's deprived communities are too large to be solved just by ensuring a Dalit candidate's entry into Rastrapati Bhavan.

Yours faithfully,

Sujit De, Calcutta

• Sir - The NDA picking Ram Nath Kovind as its presidential nominee has come as a surprise to most. Many names were being thrown up by the media, but no one speculated that the BJP would choose Kovind. The latter is a lawyer and a two-term parliamentarian. He is also known to be a crusader for Dalit rights. However, his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has made some people uncomfortable with his candidature. Such people must realize that hell will not break loose if a person with an RSS background becomes the next president of India.

It is highly unfortunate that the Congress-led Opposition has fielded the former Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar, to take on Kovind. Meira Kumar stands no chance of winning the election. We are in the 70th year of our independence. It would have been a fitting tribute to our democracy if the major political parties had agreed on a common candidate.

Yours faithfully,

Hemant Kumar,

Ambala City, Haryana

Turn to peace

• Sir - The situation in Darjeeling is going from bad to worse. The seizure of weapons from premises linked to Bimal Gurung indicates that the ongoing problem is not a sudden outburst, and preparations to destabilize the law and order situation were going on for some time. Gurung is the chief of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is at the forefront of the separate Gorkhaland agitation. The remarks made by the BJP member of parliament from Darjeeling, S.S. Ahluwalia, were also provocative. One expected him to behave more maturely.

It is time the prime minister joined the chief minister of West Bengal in striving to reach an amicable resolution to the Darjeeling issue. The local people might be participating in the pro-Gorkhaland rallies out of fear and not because they support the cause of Gorkhaland.

Yours faithfully,

Asit Kumar Mitra, Calcutta

• Sir - The hilly areas of Darjeeling district have been on the boil for quite some time now. Till the early 19th century, Darjeeling was part of the kingdom of Sikkim. It is a fact that the majority of the people there are not Bengalis. Even if the Bengal government succeeds in silencing the protests for the time being through the use of strong-arm tactics, it will not be able to root out the desire for a separate state.

However, in case of a future division of the state, the plains of Darjeeling district should remain with West Bengal.

Yours faithfully,

Suman Sankar Dasgupta,

Calcutta

• Sir - Mamata Banerjee is not just the chief minister of Bengal, she is also the home minister of the state. Therefore, she must accept that her department failed to rein in the violence in Darjeeling. Banerjee's interference in the working of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, which is a semi-autonomous body, led to this crisis. The Gorkhaland issue is a sensitive one and needs to be tackled with utmost patience.

Yours faithfully,

Aranya Sanyal, Siliguri