Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Buta Singh quits

Now that Buta Singh has resigned, the UPA Government can breathe easy. However it is shameful that those in power allowed him to hoist the national flag, which their young budding MP Rahul Gandhi claims is his religion, on Republic Day.

N. Mahadevan,
Chennai

Mr. Singh's resignation was the best gift to us on Republic Day. It proves our democracy is vibrant and dynamic, and the judiciary is the custodian of our Constitution.

M. Ramanathan,
Karaikudi, T.N.

Instead of asserting that he would take the salute, Mr. Singh should have quit gracefully after the pronouncement of the judgment.

R. Ramachandra Rao,
Bangalore

It is unfortunate that Mr. Singh took his time to resign in spite of the Supreme Court coming down heavily on him for recommending the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly. It is equally disappointing to note the Centre's silence on the issue.

G. Krishnakumar,
Secunderabad

I am amazed, amused, confused and even angry. The Hindu argued that the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly was the only democratic and constitutionally proper course open to the Centre in 2005. Now it says Bihar is an object lesson on the dangers of appointing political hatchet men to high office (editorial "No more brazening it out," Jan. 25). Clearly, it has held contradicting positions. How would you explain this to your readers?

Sundar Krishna,
Greensburg, Pennsylvania

Those of us who applauded the May 23 proclamation as the only democratic and constitutionally proper course should accept some moral culpability. Even after the Supreme Court declared the proclamation unconstitutional, those who maintained that the Court did not consider the dissolution such an outrage as to reverse it completely have some explaining to do.

Srinivasan Venkataraman,
Petaluma, California

Whether it is the Quattrocchi affair, the Bihar dissolution or the inclusion of chargesheeted politicians in the Union Cabinet, one wonders what prevents an honest person like Manmohan Singh from asserting himself as Prime Minister. If only he would take a principled stand on all matters, the whole nation would stand by him and even the parliamentarians with whose support he holds office would not have the courage to disown him.

R. Venugopal,
Chennai

Given the numbers thrown up in the Assembly election and the rigid stand taken by LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, there was no way any party could form a stable government. Are the Governor and the Centre to stand by and watch when large-scale horse-trading is on, on the plea of upholding the Constitution? The only alternative to deadlock was to refer the matter to the people and that was what Mr. Buta Singh did.

J.F. Dawson,
Chennai

Though three functionaries — the President, the Prime Minister, and the Governor — are responsible for the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly, Mr. Singh became the scapegoat. His exit is a lesson for Governors not to get rid of elected governments in a manner contrary to constitutional norms.

Thadigiri Potha Raju,
Karimnagar, A.P.

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