Glorious wings
Sir — Ancient artefacts like coins and statues usually come to mind when one thinks of a country’s cultural heritage. But modern machinery, too, can be important to a nation’s history. This was proved by the Ethiopian government’s jubilation in response to the news that the two-seater aeroplane belonging to its erstwhile emperor, Haile Selassie, that had been whisked away to Italy by Benito Mussolini’s forces might be returned to Africa. While this restoration cannot make up for the evils of colonialism, returning pieces of Africa’s cultural heritage are a start to the process of reparations.
Pranjal Chakraborty, Calcutta
Political vendetta
Sir — The arrest of the sitting chief minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, by the Enforcement Directorate seems to be a carefully planned move by the Bharatiya Janata Party for political gains. The editorial, “Wider impact” (Feb 7), rightly highlights the ramifications of Soren’s arrest for Jharkhand’s tribal vote bank. The dauntless spirit displayed by Soren and his party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, in winning the floor test in the state assembly and successfully installing Champai Soren as his successor will stand the arrested leader in good stead. The episode might even turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the INDIA bloc.
P.K. Sharma, Barnala, Punjab
Sir — The ED arrested Hemant Soren in an alleged land scam case as soon as he resigned from his post. Soren is not the first Opposition chief minister to come under the scanner of Central agencies. The next target seems to be the Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader, Arvind Kejriwal. Although a clean, corruption-free administration is desired by all citizens, it is pertinent to ask why the Centre has only pursued cases against Opposition leaders like Kejriwal, Soren and Lalu Prasad, while such charges are dropped as soon as politicians switch sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the current chief minister of Assam, is a case in point — he used to be regularly attacked by BJP functionaries but has now become one of its most important national leaders. This shows that the current crusades against Kejriwal and Soren are politically motivated.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad
Sir — A prerequisite for a democracy is the presence of an Opposition that has the freedom to criticise the government. Unfortunately, this freedom seems to have all but vanished in India at present. This is evident from the arrest of Hemant Soren, one of the key members of the INDIA combine. Soren’s arrest clearly had gubernatorial approval given how the governor’s office also delayed the appointment of the new chief minister, despite Champai Soren enjoying the support of 47 JMM legislators. With Lalu Prasad, Arvind Kejriwal and Abhishek Banerjee facing similar harassment, citizens can be forgiven for believing that India is no longer a democracy.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
Let them speak
Sir — The article, “The tasks of an intellectual” (Feb 7), by Bhargabi Das is relevant to India’s current socio-political situation. Given the State’s constant scrutiny of liberal academics, they often hesitate to register their protest against ongoing social injustices, like the attacks on Palestinians in Gaza or the widening religious divisions in India. Giving lectures in the classroom is no substitute for raising one’s voice in public.
Jahar Saha, Calcutta
Sir — Intellectuals protesting against social wrongs should not be silenced. Otherwise, the purpose of education is defeated. In a democracy, such voices must be encouraged.
Fateh Najamuddin, Lucknow
