Include politicians in the ambit of Lokayukta
Sir, This refers to the news report Lokayukta gets more teeth (DH, Sep 19). The State cabinet has given the green signal to provide suo motu powers to the Lokayukta to initiate investigation against government officials including civil servants upto the grade of Chief Secretary. This should be welcomed
partially.

If the objective of the Lokayukta is to root out the evil of corruption at all levels, absolute powers should also be provided to the Lokayukta.

Delegation of piece-meal powers to the Lokayukta would be of no use unless it is well-clothed to deliver the goods to the expectation of the public in the matter of total eradication of corruption. Can we allow these politicians to be out of the ambit of Lokayukta?

Unless and untill politicians are brought within the purview of the Lokayukta, there would be no way of containing the cancerous growth of corruption. 

S NAGARAJAN
Bangalore

Suo motu powers
Sir, The recent decision of the Karnataka government to enhance the powers of Lokayukta to file suo motu cases against civil service officers is a positive step, as we all know that quite a few in this group are corrupt, irresponsible and are in the habit of putting the blame on others whenever there is a failure on their part. They don’t follow the rules; but just follow the dictates of their bosses.
But the snag seems to be that the Lokayukta can only investigate and send proposals to the government for action. Again it is the babus who manage the government. The result is anyone’s guess.
Eswaran D Mallur
US

Local polls
Sir, Whether anyone agrees or not, the forthcoming elections to the urban local bodies in Karnataka is crucial to all the political parties in the state. This would show, at least to some extent, the popularity or otherwise of the present ruling dispensation. Though the CM and the deputy CM might say that this is not a referendum, the elections would reveal the mood of the electorate, especially with the threat of mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha looming large over the horizon. Surely, no major political party, worth its name, would take these elections lightly as much is at stake in controlling these local urban bodies.
D B N Murthy
Bangalore

Read Ramayana
Sir, It is very painful to read the comments on Lord Rama made by a responsible person holding the highest office in Tamil Nadu. First he should apologise to all Hindus. He should remember that Gandhiji, father of our nation, dreamt of “Rama Rajya” . He should read and try to understand the brightness of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Gopi
Bangalore

Be impartial!
Sir, I agree with your editorial Banish intolerance (DH, Sept 20) stressing tolerance for atheism also. Yes of course!

In a democracy, everybody has the freedom to follow his religion, faith, and express opinion freely. But his opinion should not wound the feelings of others.

In the right to freedom of speech, an atheist cannot question the existence of god (of one particular religion to whom he belongs), or question his educational qualifications just for the sake of votes. If he is impartial, nobody is going to criticise him.
Sukumar Talpady
Bangalore