Infamous company

Sir — Time magazine’s choice of Elon Musk as the ‘person of the year’ has raised eyebrows. Apparently, the Tesla chief’s ambitious ideas of space colonization and his unscientific opinions belittling the threat of Covid-19 have resonated with the masses. Time has defended its selection, claiming that Musk had “the most influence on the events of the year”. This may be true, but the quality of the influence needs to be taken into consideration as well. Time has made controversial choices before — Hitler and Stalin had been voted person of the year too. Is Musk comfortable in this rather infamous company?

Silva Sinha,
Calcutta

Grave charges

Sir — The special investigation team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri case found that the killing of four farmers and a journalist on October 3 was “pre-planned” (“SIT: Lakhimpur killings planned”, Dec 15). This has vindicated the farmers’ stand. The accused now face grave charges such as ‘attempt to murder’, ‘voluntarily causing injuries by dangerous weapons’ and so on instead of ‘rash driving’ and ‘negligence’.

The prime accused, Ashish Mishra, the son of the Union minister, Ajay Mishra Teni, and his accomplices were obviously emboldened owing to the atmosphere of impunity that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has fostered when it comes to crushing dissent. Ajay Mishra Teni, too, is not in the clear — the SIT found that he had previously threatened to ‘discipline’ the protesting farmers. The minister must resign and legal action must be taken against him.

The SIT report also reveals the BJP’s insensitivity towards farmers and it will put the party on the back foot in Uttar Pradesh.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The SIT report in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident has rendered the continuance of Ajay Mishra Teni as a Union minister untenable. A fair trial into his culpability cannot be undertaken with him in a position of power.

The prime minister may not heed the Opposition’s demands to sack the minister, but to ignore the Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s call to dismiss him would be to commit political hara-kiri.

S.K. Choudhury,
Bangalore

Sir — It was courageous of the SIT to implicate a Union minister’s son in a murder case. The investigation, if allowed to continue independently, may reveal more evidence against the accused.

Arun Gupta,
Calcutta

Sir — The arraigned in the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre should be given the maximum punishment prescribed by the law. Further, if Ajay Mishra Teni is allowed to continue as a Union minister, the future of this country is grim.

Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai

Food for thought

Sir — Anjali, the 14-year-old student from a government school in Karnataka, must be commended. She dared to speak up for the right of students to choose what they eat in mid-day meals (“Student to seers: We will eat eggs”, Dec 15). Her defiance of the powerful seers opposing the provision of boiled eggs in school meals is a moment of reckoning. It must be understood that religious diktats do not satisfy the hunger of the downtrodden. Moreover, such bigotry does not have any place in a democracy.

Manzar Imam,
New Delhi

Sir — It is heartbreaking that a young student had to lash out at seers who have objected to eggs being served in mid-day meals. Health experts and anti-caste activists have rightly called such a demand a Hindutvavadi agenda. In fact, the Karnataka government must be lauded for introducing eggs in mid-day meals, especially at a time when levels of malnutrition and anaemia in students are high according to the recent National Family Health Survey.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — The schoolgirl in Karnataka has shown great courage in speaking up against Hindu seers. However, one cannot help but worry about her. India
is not a country where independent opinion — especially against religious leaders — is allowed to go unpunished.

The girl is associated with a political organization; the latter must ensure that she is extended proper protection. Mightier people than her have fallen prey to hoodlums in the name of religion. The government, too, must come forward and ensure any aid possible in this regard.

Saloni Singh,
Ujjain

Parting shot

Sir — The country’s banking system has now been democratized in the true sense of the word. In the 52nd year of bank nationalization, India has made significant progress in reaching out to people in every corner of the country. Not only does the number of urban women account holders nearly match that of rural India, but mobile banking has also made life easier. The increase of the deposit insurance coverage to up to five lakh rupees will pave the way for a more phenomenal future for the Indian banking system.

M.R. Jayanthi,
Coimbatore