Legalising corruption

Stop being naiveThis is with reference to ‘Pakistan jumps to Nabi Fai’s defence’, (July 23). Ghulam Nabi Fai and his organisation represent the covert activities of the ISI in the US. In return for Pakistan turning a blind eye to the US presence in Pakistani territory, the US acquiesced to overlook covert activities of the ISI on its territory so long as they were not directed against the national security of the US. In arresting Fai, the US has served its own immediate concerns and if India’s interests have been covered, this could be incidental. The sad part is some of the literati have allowed themselves to nearly being used by Fai and his organisation. Was our ministry of external affairs being equally naive?— R Narayanan, GhaziabadLegalising corruptionThe Infosys chief at last gave expression to the honest innermost feelings of people in general. His tentative suggestion to legalise corruption in our country is the realisation of the widespread and deep reach of the cancer which appears impossible to tame, let alone rooting it out from our midst. The suggestion has the weight of the social stature of the man whose immense contribution in the field of information technology has given our country global recognition. Now that Shiv Sena Chief has also endorsed the suggestion, there is likely to be a vociferous demand for legalisation of corruption. If at all Shiv Sena decide to take, or give, the lead, Anna’s crusade against the corruption may pale in comparison and may, probably, be pushed to the backseat. Legalising corruption will also not have much of opposition from the government. They would welcome it with the show of reluctance, purportedly to meet the people’s demand.— KK Wajge, MumbaiDravid’s will powerWhatever be the result of the Lords test, Rahul Dravid has once again proved why he is so valuable in the Indian scheme of things. His innings in the first match was a picture of confidence and dedication and was a lesson in cricket for the followers of the game. His elegant drives and deft touches were a treat to watch. This shows the will-power of the stylish cricketer.— Ganapathi Bhat, AkolaCorruption destroys We should not cringe in front of a bureaucrat and concede to his demands, come what may. Apropos ‘Don’t yield to demands for even small sums’, (July 25) B Jayashree’s case is an eye opener for the government as well as general public. She is an MP yet she was made to run from pillar to post, just because she refused to pay bribe for getting her work done. Our prime minister had made a statement sometime ago to select editors that his government believes in action and not in words. If we depend on the government to weed out corruption from its system, it may take years, hence, we must resolve not to pay bribe. Only the government cannot eradicate corruption, we also have to play a significant role by refusing to pay bribes.— Jitendra Kothari, via emailKeeping tabIt was amusing to read that our government was aware about the activities of Kashmiri American Council and Ghulam Nabi Fai, the chief of Kashmiri American Council in USA, who turned out to be involved with ISI and  terrorists activities against India (‘India knew about Fai all along’, July 24). But they are not aware of terrorists and their activities in India, right under their noses. What a joke and a futile exercise to show to the world that we keep a tab on terrorists.— Vanita Shenoy, Mumbai

Baseless argument  This is with reference to ‘Defence purchase scam: Rs750 cr in Tatra truck kickbacks’, (July 22). We find the statement “DNA tried to track the owners of Tatra Sipox (UK) Ltd and found that the firm has nothing to do with Tatra Sipox” completely baseless. Vectra Group has always been involved in Tatra since 1993 when the first privatisation took place through coupon privitisation.— Benedicte Meyssan, Senior Vice-President, Press & PR, Vectra Ltd

Reply: While we note your point, we also note that it evades the main thrust of the story, which was the kickbacks and wrongdoings by BEML  — Editor