The beauty of an egalitarian society
Sir, From the past fortnight, the Presidential polls and the stupendous success of south Indian matinee idol Rajnikant’s new blockbuster Sivaji- the Boss, have been hogging the limelight in the media.
Pratibha Patil, who was an unknown face in the crowd, has stirred a hornet’s nest by intruding into religious freedom. It is surprising that Patil, is oblivious that the practice of using a veil was stated in the Quran. On the lighter side, Rajnikant created a new wave, as his new release not only makes the cash register ringing in South India, but also in North India, where regional movies were less frequented by movie goers. The euphoria surrounding both these issues are unprecedented which is the beauty of being in an egalitarian society. Yasmin Banu, Abu Dhabi
Publicise their wealth
Sir, Referring to the disclosure of assets worth Rs 52 crore by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati while filing her nomination for election to the UP Legislative Council, it is a matter of satisfaction that the wealth of our politicians is now compulsorily exposed.
But the people do have a right to know how such wealth was acquired suddenly, especially since several of these hi-profile politicians are originally from a poor background.
There should be some mechanism to check if such massive assets are acquired through corruption in public life. Besides there should be some means to publicise the income of politicians in ministerial positions both in the states and the Centre. SUBHASH C AGRAWAL, New Delhi
Who will dare?
Sir, Power and money go hand in hand. Before entering politics, our politicians are mediocre but after some years , they become rich. Our politicians serve themselves first and then they serve others.
So, the declaration of Rs 52 crore of assets by UP Chief Minister Mayawati, during the filing of nominations did not come as a surprise.
As long as she is in power, no authority will dare to question the BSP leader on the source of her declared assets. Kausar Fatima, Gulbarga
BJP’s hypocrisy
Sir, The BJP's decision to allot 33 per cent posts for women at every level of its party structure would have been a commendable political act – if only it was not conspired by sheer desperation and tactics used to oppose the UPA's candidate for Presidential polls, Pratibha Patil. In a sudden change in the political backdrop, the BJP leaders now want to allure Indian women to salvage their eroding credibility. The BJP's hypocrisy cannot go unnoticed even among its most diehard supporters. Ravinder Kumar Banyal, Boston
The caste question
Sir, The Shiv Sena chief has reportedly decided to support the UPA presidential candidate Pratibha Patil for the reason that the Shiv Sena would feel proud of a Marathi President. Pratibha Patil, born as a Marathi, is married to a Shekhawat, a Gujarati.
According to Hindu customs, after marriage a woman becomes legally a part of her husband’s family and also takes on the husband’s surname.
The UPA candidate is legally Pratibha Shekhawat, a Gujrati, and not Pratibha Patil after her marriage. K P R Iyer, Bangalore
Another Nandigram?
Sir, What Nandigram is for West Bengal, Nandagudi is for Karnataka. While the communists favoured the acquisition of large acres of farmland in Nandigram, they along with Congress have taken a directly opposite stand in Nandagudi.
Total ban on land for SEZ is suicidal. Agriculture per-se does not lead to economic empowerment of the vast majority of farmers. On the other hand, they are impoverished and incidents of suicides are on the increase.
The State government has come out with a clear policy. It does not want to acquire lands directly from the farmers. Developers have to purchase land from the farmers. Therefore, suitable amendments need to be made in the relevant laws to enable non-agriculturists to purchase farm land. Mumtaz Ali Khan, Bangalore
The beauty of an egalitarian society
