Save the girl child

Wrong move
This is with reference to ‘Strategists Chidu, Sibal, Soni planned the arrest’ (August 17). However the government tries to defend that Anna’s arrest was the Delhi Police’s decision, it cannot be denied that the top leaders from Congress took the decision and forwarded the same to the cops. The idea of putting Anna in Tihar jail with likes of A Raja is not only an insult to Anna’s motives but also a reflection of the dictator-like attitude being shown by the government in a democratic country like India. With so many scams under its reign, the government has added fuel to fire by arresting Anna.
—Sankalp Shukla, via email

II
In the trademark characteristic of UPA-2, the government has yet again got entangled in a web of confusion. It has shown its weaknesses in (preventively) arresting Anna Hazare before the much publicised fast unto death. Obviously, the ruling party did not do its home work well before venturing into the misadventure. By arresting Anna, the government is underestimating the supremacy of the people in democracy and overestimating its own strengths. Those responsible for this ignominy have failed to gauge the popular pulse. The whole episode has further dented the image of the government in general and the Prime Minister in particular. The Congress has failed to see the tacit support other political parties and some organisations have been extending to Hazare. Also to be taken note of is the dubious role being played by the opposition parties, who should have supported the government’s stand that Parliament is supreme in a Constitutional democracy and pressure groups cannot dictate terms to the Parliament for legislation.
—Bichu Muttathara, Pune

III
Sonia Gandhi, along with other Congress stalwarts, had declared a few days ago that their action will speak louder than their words and that all Congress leaders are committed to come out with a powerful anti-corruption bill. Now Team Anna claims that the anti-corruption bill proposed by the government is not only weak but full of loopholes.  If Team Anna’s draft is powerful enough to eradicate corruption, then why can’t the government discuss it with Ann’s team.  What Indian people, as well as all political leaders, require is to have strong anti-corruption bill. 
—V Venkitasubramanian, Thane

Shares not for public
This is with reference to ‘Couple ends life after Sensex dips’, (August 14). It was greed to make easy money which lead to the soaring rise in the Sensex. The stock market is, in fact, being manipulated by stockbrokers. Quite often one can see that shares of a particular company are quoted at extraordinary price whereas it balance sheet analysis or dividend track tells another story. So, the Sensex cannot be considered a barometer of economic growth and prosperity. Moreover, the accumulation of wealth from shares does not contribute significantly to national wealth because, once again, it is only the share prices of a few companies that determine the rise and fall of the Sensex. One only has to remember the well-known share scams and how the public at large lost money in shares. It is not a place for ordinary investors to put their hard-earned money.
—Mahesh Kapasi, via email

Save the girl child
This is with reference to ‘Mandals’ message: Save the girl child’, (August 16). The initiative being taken by the Ganesh mandals to spread awareness about female foeticide during Ganeshotsav, is worthy of appreciation. The decline in the number of girls in recent times is a cause of grave concern. Ganeshotsav, being immensely popular, is an appropriate stage to reach out to the masses to convey the menace of sex-selected abortions. The efforts of the municipal corporation, though late in the day, need to be complemented by co-operation from doctors and sonography centres by not entertaining patients wanting to know the gender of their unborn child. A change in the attitude towards a girl child, by parents in particular and the society in general, will definitely save the girl child.
—Seema Malghan, Thane

No reservations please
The lottery system adopted by BMC to earmark reserved constituencies for the civic elections is against the principles of democracy because by this system the candidates are thrust upon the voters by restricting their choice. Moreover, the good work done by the corporators while nurturing their respective constituencies goes waste under this system. No one has prevented the candidates from reserved categories to contest the elections from their respective parties.
—Vanita Shenoy, Mumbai

Maval victims
The victim who died in the police firing at the Maval agitation were not the participants which proves that police fired at the protesters with their own agenda (‘BJP blames Ajit Pawar for Maval police firing’, August 14). As a top cop said, firing was not necessary and the situation could have brought under the control without resorting to firing. The Congress made a big noise when policemen in Uttar Pradesh killed four farmers agitating against the land acquisition by the UP government. The police action in Maval was worse and suspending two police officers is not enough. The inquiry result will only blame the farmers and the police officers will go scot-free. The government should make all possible efforts to find out the truth in an unbiased manner.
—Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

An icon no more
With the death of veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, the Hindi film industry has lost a trend-setting icon (‘A rebel’s final Yahoo’, August 15). Noted actresses like Amita, Saira Banu, Sharmila Tagore, Kalpana and Rajashree made successful debuts as a leading lady opposite Shammi Kapoor. Moreover, the countless songs penned by gifted lyricists like Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, set to everlasting tunes by the unmatched composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan and rendered by legendary playback singer
Mohammed Rafi played a major role in Shammiji’s
glorious film career.
—Anil R Torne,
Talegaon Dabhade