Visible cracks

Sir — ‘Vikas’, or development, has always been a key electoral plank for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, though, seems to be having a hard time delivering on this promise. Perhaps that is why the Yogi Adityanath-led dispensation is leaving no stones unturned to woo the electorate — the deputy chief minister recently retweeted the picture of a Chinese airport claiming it depicted the upcoming Noida airport. However, the cracks are showing — literally. A few days ago, when a BJP leader tried to break a coconut while inaugurating a road, the coconut remained intact but the road gave away. As such, no amount of praise from the prime minister can help Adityanath.

Abhinava Sengupta,

Calcutta

Be fair

Sir — The Opposition is clearly not ready to take the suspension of 12 members of parliament for alleged misdemeanour during the monsoon session lying down. The Shiv Sena MP, Priyanka Chaturvedi, has resigned from her position as anchor of the Sansad TV show, Meri Kahani (“Suspension backlash on House TV”, Dec 6). This prompted Shashi Tharoor to take a similar stand. Playing hardball may not be the best idea for the Centre if it has any intention of doing away with its impression of being authoritarian. It should take steps to alleviate the situation.

Smita Chanda,

Delhi

Sir — The suspension of 12 MPs for unruly behaviour — albeit under provocation — is a clear indication that the Centre needed to divert attention from burning issues such as the farmers’ protests and price rise. The prospect of having a clear majority in the Rajya Sabha may have been another motivation. In either case, it is a sad time for Indian democracy. When the BJP was in the Opposition, disruption of Parliament was considered to be a legitimate form of protest. But when it is in power, the same thing has turned into ‘misconduct’ deserving suspension.

It is the duty of the government of the day to reach out to the Opposition and create an atmosphere congenial to the conduct of legislative business in the service of the nation. The presiding officers of both Houses should be politically neutral in order to do justice to their exalted constitutional positions.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The events taking place at the Rajya Sabha are amusing. Members of the Opposition reportedly climbed up on tables, tore up papers and pushed the marshals. Yet they have tried to justify their actions. Now that 12 MPs have been suspended, they are moving about with long faces, complaining to all and sundry.

Then, at the recent all-party meeting, Opposition leaders raised 15-20 issues. They expected the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to answer the queries, but the latter gave the meeting a miss and infuriated the Opposition further. The ‘dance of democracy’ continues to affect parliamentary proceedings.

M.R. Jayanthy,

Coimbatore

Divisive tactics

Sir — There has been a concerted effort by Hindu right-wing groups to link Christians with illegal conversions in Karnataka. But data showing a decline in the Christian population in the state contradict these allegations. The proposal of the anti-conversion law has deeply hurt the Christian community as it is being perceived as a direct attack on the freedom of religion by the State. This bill must be opposed.

Anthony Henriques,

Mumbai

Sir — There has been a rise in attacks against Christians in Karnataka ever since the anti-conversion bill was proposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. One fails to understand why the BJP has to invariably resort to playing the communal card everywhere in order to appease the majority community.

Shreyansh Sardar,

Delhi

Beyond reach

Sir — The Union home ministry’s directive to all states to hand over their prominent drugs cases to the Narcotics Control Bureau is yet another example of the Centre’s brazen attempt to undermine India’s federal structure. The short notice — the directive was issued on December 2 and the deadline was December 5 — itself made the intentions seem suspect.

It also raises the question of whether the Centre is empowered by law to unilaterally take over cases under investigation by the state anti-drug agencies. The Bombay High Court has already commented adversely on the NCB’s actions in the cruise ship case, granting bail to the three accused. The NCB should set its own house in order instead of biting off more than it can chew.

S.K. Choudhury,

Bangalore

Golden moment

Sir — Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or, one of football’s most prestigious awards, for a record seventh time, putting him ahead of his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. The award reaffirms the fact that Messi is unquestionably the king of contemporary football. Perhaps what separates Messi from other greats is that he has an inherent advantage — his superior skill when it comes to manipulating the ball. He deserves every bit of his success.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai

Out of balance

Sir — It was heart-breaking to learn that many children were poorly fed in Bengal during the pandemic (“More kids poorly fed in the pandemic”, Dec 6). The government as well as non-governmental organizations should take immediate action so that adequate food is available for children from underprivileged families.

Raima Sen Sharma,

Calcutta