New opportunity
Sir — Most influencers are nothing but snake-oil salesmen making money from our insecurities. Jay Shetty, the modern-day monk, is no different. A Guardian exposé has now revealed that the life story that Shetty has told so far may be a lie and that a lot of his content is plagiarised. While Shetty has faced similar allegations before, his net worth of four million dollars has not been affected by these. It is likely that Shetty will lay low for a while and then repackage this exposé as an incident that changed his life, yet again, and turn adversity into a new business opportunity.
Srijita Saha, Calcutta
Polls in peril
Sir — The resignation of the election commissioner, Arun Goel, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls is cause for concern (“Arun Goel quits as EC”, Mar 10). Along with the retirement of another election commissioner last month, Goel’s resignation leaves just the chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, on the poll panel. Given the recent change in legislation which excluded the Chief Justice of India from the panel that selects election commissioners, new recruitments are likely to be biased in favour of the government. Moreover, this disruption might also push the deadline to publish the list of those who bought electoral bonds back further. The hope of a free and fair general election is dimming with every passing day.
M. Rishidev, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu
Sir — The premature resignation of Arun Goel before the general elections has come as a big surprise. This raises doubts about the functioning of the Election Commission of India, which is now under just the chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar. In the past, Kumar has been accused of announcing poll dates in Gujarat in a way that benefitted the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign. The Supreme Court should step in to ensure that the electoral process is not sullied.
M.N. Gupta, Hooghly
Sir — It must be asked why Arun Goel did not cite a reason for resigning from his post so close to the general elections. The timing of Goel’s resignation is critical given the recent Supreme Court judgment ordering the publication of the identities of those who purchased electoral bonds.
Khokan Das, Calcutta
Poisonous hate
Sir — Police brutality against a congregation of Muslims who were offering namaz on a road in the Inderlok area in North Delhi reveals how deep the roots of bigotry have spread within State institutions. Such incidents malign the image of India. They show that Narendra Modi’s claims of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ are hollow.
In this context, the suspension of the sub-inspector responsible for the brutality, Manoj Kumar Tomar, is laudable. He should be shown no leniency. The right to practice one’s faith is a fundamental one in India. It cannot be violated.
Iftekhar Ahmed, Calcutta
Sir — The unprecedented surge in hate crimes against Muslims in India is upsetting. It is unfortunate that law-enforcers, too, have been influenced by the religious hatred fomented by political parties, especially the saffron outfits. Last year, a Railway Police Force constable had shot dead three Muslim passengers on board a train owing to communal hatred. Lynching based on religion has become frequent and abusive posts are freely circulated on social media without considering the implications of such actions. Voters must thus cast their votes in favour of a brighter future and shun those who spread hatred.
Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta
Grim reality
Sir — International Women’s Day was celebrated with great pomp this year too. Politicians made grand speeches as is their wont. But the ground reality for women is grim. The women’s reservation bill was passed amidst much brouhaha but it is not going to be implemented anytime soon. Women have fallen out of the formal workforce and those in it are paid a fraction of what their male counterparts make. Crimes against women are on the rise. This situation should change before the next International Women’s Day rolls around.
Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai
Emphatic win
Sir — Team India should be congratulated for its emphatic 4-1 Test series win against England. Indian spinners, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, drilled the last nail in England’s coffin at Dharamsala (“ASH-BALL n. Quick and clinical kill, destroyer of Bazball”, Mar 10). The much-touted Bazball techniques of the English team proved no match for India. In the absence of some senior players, young guns like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan rose to the occasion to demolish the English bowling attack. Besides being woefully out of form with the willow, Ben Stokes also seemed bereft of ideas when it came to leading his side. Despite winning the first Test at Hyderabad, England struggled to keep up the momentum and were outclassed by the Men in Blue.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
