New pothole menace in Mumbai

New pothole menace
Apropos ‘Probe links hasty opening to pothole’ (June 21), it is indeed funny to read about inaugurating a Rs140 cr 2.5km long flyover in a hurry. It is prudent that a competent civil engineering laboratory (IIT or VJTI) be entrusted to test the construction ingredients used and how it has been laid on location to ascertain the quality of the work done. The authority should check all these shortcomings to avoid such a post inaugural confusion and thereby making the public at large more suspicious about the administrative/technical  hiccups in future  in these vital infrastructure  projects.
—Bikram  Banerjea, Mumbai

Party politics
It was sad to read the way a senior leader like Gopinath Munde is hobnobbing with Congress, NCP, and other opposition parties to blackmail his own party which he has nurtured for decades and has reaped benefits from its growth (‘Munde flirts with Cong; BJP in a spot’, June 21). Munde should remember the plight of Bhujbal and Rane who deserted their mentor party and joined main stream parties with lots of hopes but are now being side lined to the extent of being termed as spent forces. 
— Sudhakar Shenoy, Mumbai

II
One reason given by Gopinath Munde for being unhappy with his party is that he is being sidelined in the organisation (‘Munde to meet Advani or Sonia?’, June 22). If that is true, then how come he was made deputy chief minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999? If Munde indeed crosses over to the Congress and gets a plum post of his choice, then it will only go to prove that the saffron party is a bunch of power hungry politicians devoid of any ideology. A number of similar instances are seen all over the country at different levels. 
—Vineet Phadtare, via email

III
This is with reference to ‘Munde to meet Advani or Sonia?’ (June 22). Gopinath Munde’s predicament reminds one of Narayan Rane, who also switched loyalties, which is what Munde seems to be contemplating too. It reminds one of the popular saying that ‘there is no enemy or foe in politics’. It is worth recalling what Venkaiah Naidu, the key mediator, has been quoted as having asked: ‘how can Munde even ask such a question’ in reply to Munde’s demand that he be allowed to lead the 2014 assembly elections in Maharashtra. The context points at the fact that no political party have gone beyond a limit to pacify the sulking politician. It now depends on how Munde handles this peculiar situation.
—PL Thomas, Mumbai

Accountability and responsibility
The government draft of Lokpal Bill is reported to exclude the Prime Minister, higher judiciary and conduct of MPs inside Parliament from the ambit of the proposed ombudsman (‘Two drafts: One to kill, other to bill’, June 22). One is reminded of The Animal Farm by George Orwell where the ruling pigs formulated the seven commandments, the last of which said ‘All animals are equal’. As in the case of our democracy, in course of time, there was a progressive deterioration. In the climax, the seven commandments were reduced to a single phrase ‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others’. The basic point is about the equality of all citizens before law. The government representatives should ask themselves as to what their stand would be if NDA were in power today.
—A Seshan, via email

II
Apropos ‘Can’t promise Lokpal by August 15, says Pranab’, (June 13), the statement that 6,000 people dictating what Parliament ought to do will weaken democracy is not correct, since constitutionally people of India are one who have given Constitution the right to govern them. However, Parliament has failed to pass Lokpal Bill since 1968 to end corruption and hence there is no option for people but to agitate peacefully.  Therefore, the government is the cause of peaceful agitation by Anna Hazare who has declared that if Lokpal Bill is not passed by August 15, he will again fast unto death. Let the government take his stand seriously and enact a stringent Lokpal Bill. 
—KC Jaisinghani, Pune