The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Matter of concern

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Saturday, Feb 05, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Matter of concern

Sir, — The violence in the first phase of polling in Bihar and Jharkhand is a matter of serious concern. Elections are becoming more violent by the day. All political parties should come together to ensure peaceful conduct of elections in the interest of democracy.

M. Satyanarayana Rao,
Warangal, A.P.

Sir, — The photographs of policemen keeping vigil in Kakariya village, Bihar, and plainclothesmen with batons in Jharkhand (Feb. 4) tell an apt story about the law and order situation in the States.

N. Aravind Rajesh,
Thiruvannamalai, T.N.

Why not?

Sir, — This refers to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision not to attend the SAARC summit because of the recent developments in Nepal. India has no reservations in dealing with Pervez Musharraf who usurped power in a military coup, and Abdul Gayoom of Maldives who has been heading a single-party `democracy' for decades. Then why the reluctance to deal with King Gyanendra? Postponing the SAARC summit often does not augur well for regional cooperation.

Col. (retd.) Ram Gulrajani,
Chennai

Sir, — When we can deal with a military dictatorship in Pakistan and a repressive junta in Myanmar, why should we react so harshly with respect to Nepal? It is time we dealt with Nepal in a mature manner befitting a large neighbour.

Shalivahan Sharangpani,
Boston, Massachussets

Sir, — The tiny Himalayan Kingdom has been the victim of Maoist insurgency for a decade, and elected governments have been unable to tackle the problem effectively. The King of Nepal has the moral and constitutional responsibility to defend the nation against insurgency. Before India expresses concern over the state of democracy in Nepal it should look at its backyard, especially Goa.

C.V. Subbaraman,
Hyderabad

Sir, — The coup by King Gyanendra is unfortunate. This is the age of democracy and Nepal has the world's largest democracy for a neighbour. A public survey in Nepal also says the people want democracy, not monarchy. India should work for reinstating the democratic forces in Nepal.

Farooq Ali Khan,
Varanasi, U.P.

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