Petty politics

Sir — The Central government has denied the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, the permission to attend a world peace conference in Rome. This is condemnable. Banerjee was the only invitee from India. The domestic rivalry between the Trinamul Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party is now affecting India’s international relations.

Banerjee is right in claiming that the denial is motivated by pure jealousy. The ruling dispensation at the Centre failed to see the importance of such a global meet and the positive impact it could have had on the reputation of the country. One hopes that the Centre eschews such vengeful politics in the future. Nothing should be more important than the reputation of the country.

Iftekhar Ahmed,
Calcutta

Sir — It would have been a great honour for the country and for Bengal if the Centre had allowed Mamata Banerjee to attend a world peace conference. The argument put forward by the ministry of external affairs for the rejection — that the event in question is not commensurate in status for a chief minister — is ridiculous. On the contrary, it would have been a point of pride if Banerjee was part of an event where dignitaries include the likes of Pope Francis and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

It must be noted that Banerjee was invited to Rome in appreciation of her work for “social justice”, “development” and “peace”. The Centre is unwilling to give Banerjee’s image a fillip at the cost of the prime minister’s image. Vendetta politics is what motivated the decision of the Centre.

Arun Gupta,
Calcutta

Sir — The Centre has been extremely petty in not allowing Mamata Banerjee to travel to Italy for a conference being attended by international religious and political leaders. It reflects poorly on India and the Centre. Banerjee’s trip would have helped India.

Sneha Parui,
Calcutta

Chipped pride

Sir — The prime minister has come back from the United States of America with 157 stolen Indian antiquities returned by that government. But the fact that these priceless artworks had been smuggled out of India exposes the loopholes that exist in the institutions protecting cultural treasures. For instance, the lack of a national database makes it difficult to monitor serial predations on this treasure trove. The return of the smuggled artefacts from the US should be an occasion to reflect on these failings.

Shiuli Kar,
Calcutta