Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Inglorious exit

The editorial "Inglorious exit" (Nov. 30), which outlines the adventures of Shibu Soren, has rightly concluded that the Manmohan Singh Government has much to answer for. What an embarrassment the Soren saga has turned out to be for a man of Dr. Singh's stature! At least now, he should remove charge-sheeted Ministers from his Cabinet. If he still cannot muster the required political will, he may have to face such embarrassing moments every now and then.

V. Seshagiri Sharma,
Chennai

Dr. Singh has the reputation of being a clean politician. But he alone does not run the country. It is his entire team that is responsible for good governance. It is therefore his duty to induct persons with good credentials into his Council of Ministers. As for Parliament, instead of criticising the Prime Minister, it should evolve a healthy convention on keeping politicians such as Mr. Soren out.

Naveen Marrapu,
Hyderabad

Surely, the Prime Minister, a bureaucrat and politician with an unsullied record, does not need to be reminded that a person is judged by the company he keeps?

A. Vani,
Bangalore

Mr. Soren's exit this time is unique in that he is the first Central Minister to be convicted of murder while in office. That he has been convicted of killing his secretary allegedly over a dispute between the two on sharing bribe money is also unprecedented. It is the criminalisation of politics that is responsible for the happenings. With the self-centred and the corrupt occupying the political arena, such incidents are bound to happen.

P.R.V. Raja,
Pandalam, Kerala

In his address to the India Disaster Management Congress, Dr. Singh called for a paradigm shift in disaster management saying it should change from being "relief-centric" and "post-event." He advocated a greater emphasis on preparedness, prevention, and mitigation (Nov. 30). Had he managed his Cabinet along similar lines, he could have avoided the storm that is rocking Parliament.

T.S. Gopalakrishan,
Chennai

What can be more appalling than the fact that our ruling establishment includes many more who are likely to be convicted at some point of time? Despite having all the laws in place, our system allows persons accused of committing serious crimes to occupy high offices till they are formally convicted. Even the good are tempted to follow in their footsteps. One wonders whether and when we will have laws that will prevent a person charged with a serious offence from occupying positions of responsibility and authority.

Salil Gewali,
Shillong

The Soren issue highlights the glaring disparity in standards of propriety expected of politicians and other government servants. For politicians, the standard seems to be `innocent till convicted.' But the initiation of a vigilance enquiry against public servants is sufficient to derail their career. As long as the political class fails to regulate itself and finds excuses to persist with such double standards, we will see many more Shibu Sorens.

K. Balakesari,
Chennai

Clean politicians should realise the danger criminalisation of politics can pose not just to the nation but also to their future. With the number of MPs facing criminal charges increasing, who knows, soon a law may be enacted saying having a charge sheet is a pre-requisite to fight elections! If for no other reason than self-preservation, the clean politicians should take immediate steps to keep the undesirable elements of society out of public life.

Air Vice Marshal
S.K. Sonpar (retd.),
Bangalore

Committing a crime certainly needs a strong mind and heart. But strangely, when faced with the prospect of imprisonment, our politicians seem to develop chest pain and related problems. It looks like the courts should henceforth ascertain the state of their hearts before pronouncing a verdict.

D. Narasa Raju,
Visakhapatnam

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