Dated ritual
Sir — Proposing on one knee has roots in the medieval tradition where knights would kneel before a noblewoman as a mark of chivalry. However, these days, the marriage proposal has turned into pageantry. A man in Colombia, for instance, recently tried an unconventional approach to pop the big question — he staged a gunpoint robbery so that he could propose to his girlfriend, who seemed visibly petrified at the ruse. Although she later accepted the proposal, the man should realise that pretending to be a knight in shining armour — even in a staged situation — is an outdated way to ask for a girl's hand.
Bidisha Guin, Calcutta
Foul play
Sir — The Bharatiya Janata Party has a penchant for grabbing power by hook or by crook, disregarding electoral ethics. This was evident in the recent elections of the Chandigarh municipal corporation where the BJP won despite the Opposition INDIA bloc claiming that it had secured the majority of votes ("Foul-play cry as BJP wins Chandigarh mayoral polls", Jan 31). The video shared by the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress showed the presiding officer marking the ballots, suggesting rigging. Such allegations of wrongdoing cast a long shadow over the democratic spirit. They also raise chilling concerns about the possibility of similar fraudulent acts during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — Unsurprisingly, allegations of rigging have been made against the BJP in the recently-held Chandigarh mayoral elections. The BJP has been usurping power from democratically-elected dispensations by engineering defections. The fact that mayoral polls were delayed by the Union territory administration citing the ill health of the presiding officer and were conducted only after a rap from the high court indicates the sinister design of the saffron party to mock the electoral process.
P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab
Sir — The allegation of foul play in the Chandigarh mayoral elections should not be taken lightly. An alleged conspiracy between the BJP and the presiding officer to tamper with the ballot papers enabled the saffron party to win the elections. The warning by Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi chief minister, about the BJP indulging in similar dirty tricks during the general elections must not be ignored.
Murtaza Ahmad, Calcutta
Sir — Despite winning the majority of seats in the 35-member Chandigarh municipal corporation, the INDIA bloc lost the elections to the BJP. While Manoj Sonkar (picture), the BJP's candidate, got 16 votes, the AAP-Congress combine got 20 votes. Disconcertingly, eight votes cast by INDIA councillors were declared invalid by the presiding officer, leading Sonkar to victory. This is deplorable. The authorities must see to it that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
Hassan Khan, Mumbai
Double blow
Sir — The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was sentenced to 14 years in jail by a State court in a case involving State gifts. This came a day after he was awarded a 10-year jail sentence for leaking State secrets ("Imran jailed for 10 years a week before polls", Jan 31). The two verdicts deal a severe blow to Khan ahead of the general elections next week. A wily captain during his international cricket career, Khan has been on a sticky wicket throughout his political career.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Sir — Imran Khan has been convicted in two separate cases a week before the polls. Khan's bitter feud with the military, which wields formidable power in Pakistan, has landed him in such a situation.
Jayanta Datta, Hooghly
