Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The golden goose

No one cuts the branch on which he is perched. Nor does one axe his own foot. How can a Lok Sabha committee then be expected to abandon the goose — MPLADS — that for many lays golden eggs?

Instead, the members have rightly urged the Centre to lay down guidelines for those conducting sting operations against their brethren. Such an attitude is what is called ulta chor kotwal ko dante (thief reprimanding the policeman).

Col. (retd.) Ram Gulrajani,
Chennai

* * *

Here are some suggestions for the proposed guidelines: only media houses with avowed allegiance to the Centre should be allowed to conduct sting operations; cameras should be precluded; speech recorders will not be permitted; politicians will be excluded from sting operations; and on completion of a sting operation, the results shall be forwarded to Parliament for clearance. Any violation of the above rules and many more that our honourable politicians may deem inevitable shall attract severe punishment.

G.R. Prasad,
Chennai

* * *

All political parties are likely to accept the suggestion of drawing up guidelines. The people and the media should oppose any move to regulate operations that expose corruption.

Syed Luqman,
Hyderabad

* * *

MPLADS is tailor-made for misuse by parliamentarians. It needs to be scrapped altogether. Alternative schemes to make funds available to MPs through district agencies, with enough safeguards to ensure transparency in project approval and implementation, should be put in place.

K.S. Thampi,
Chennai

* * *

If a student is caught copying in an examination, he or she is barred for three years. Surely, those caught on camera in the MPLADS scam are guilty of a bigger offence? They have not only made a mockery of the democratic system but also brought a bad name to fellow MPs. They have got away very lightly.

Lakshmi Ravi,
Chennai

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