Letters to the editor

The media is all agog with speculation about presidential candidates in the election due in July 2007. But even if I were to be assured of a...

Not advisable

• The media is all agog with speculation about presidential candidates in the election due in July 2007. But even if I were to be assured of a unanimous election, I would not accept the nomination unless Article 74 is amended and the functions of the president under Articles 72, 75, 78, 85, 86, 103, 111, 143 and 201 are freed from the fetters of the ‘advice’ of the council of ministers. Ministers are, after all, the president’s own appointees. As per the present law, the resident of the Rashtrapati Bhavan becomes an intellectual prisoner and is not allowed to use his faculties. In official matters, even in speech, he has to speak the mind and language of others. Imagine! The First Citizen is deprived of the ‘freedom of expression’ before the Parliament of the Republic.

— V.P. Divecha, Nagpur

Political puppets

• THE Congress in the UPA is certainly a puppet of the coalition parties who follow their own narrow agenda. The recent summary eviction of D. Maran from the ministry is a clear case in point. The DMK insisted on his immediate removal and got its demand. The appointment of the MOS, Radhika Selvi, in the home ministry recently is another instance. Although the IB had reported that her husband was a notorious history-sheeter of Tuticorin, and advised against her induction, the DMK had its way. In fact, in this case the DMK chief announced her induction at a press conference even before the PM did. The UPA can be compared to a hollow tree with the Congress as its trunk and the other partners as parasitic plants sapping it of life. At this rate, the tree is certain to come crashing down.

— A. Prasad, Ahmedabad

Ragging right(ly)

•THE court has totally banned ragging in all educational institutions. Incidentally, I was also a ‘victim’ of ragging. When I joined Aligarh Muslim University, some of my seniors asked me for my introduction. But they did it very politely. There were no cheap or mean words used. Then I was asked to sing a song. Since I could not sing, I was asked to dance. This I managed in a very poor fashion but my seniors appreciated the attempt and allowed me to leave. The point is that if ragging is conducted in the right way, it can prove to be an useful ice-breaker and even an educational experience. After all, in later life, one has to constantly negotiate other people’s queries

and comments.

— Ahmad Rais Siddiqi, New Delhi