Profitable rule
Sir — Maintaining traffic discipline is a cumbersome task for law enforcement agencies. But Vietnam has come up with a unique way to tackle its notoriously chaotic traffic conditions. According to the new initiative, citizens can earn up to 10% of the fines collected — almost $200 — for reporting traffic violations, such as running red lights or using mobile phones while driving. Vietnam’s ‘snitch’ law seems to have found resonance among the Indian authorities who are looking to replicate them. If it so happens, it will be a hugely profitable enterprise given India’s unruly traffic.
Darshana Jain, Delhi
Under fire
Sir — Referring to the findings of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India which mentions that more than Rs 33 crore has been spent on renovating the official residence of the then chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the Bharatiya Janata Party has attacked Kejriwal for splurging public funds on constructing a “Sheesh Mahal” for himself (“Brand Modi in driver’s seat for Delhi campaign”, Jan 8). This comes a month before the assembly elections in Delhi. By linking Kejriwal with opulence, the BJP intends to debunk his ‘aam aadmi’ image to wean away his voter base.
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party has challenged the prime minister to open the doors of his “Raj Mahal” for a media visit so that the public can judge who among the two leaders is more luxurious. Come elections, political parties indulge in spreading falsehoods about their opponents.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
Sir — Ahead of the assembly polls in Delhi, the AAP has alleged that the names of genuine electors have been deliberately deleted from the electoral roll (“Next battle”, Jan 9). While the district election officer has refuted these claims as “baseless”, there have been concerns in the past about the Election Commission of India being biased towards the ruling party. The EC should investigate the AAP’s claims to ensure transparency in the electoral process.
A.K. Chakraborty, Guwahati
Sir — The Congress and the AAP fought together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as part of the INDIA bloc. However, the two parties have failed to come to an understanding for the Delhi elections. With two other INDIA partners, the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party, deciding to support Arvind Kejriwal, the Congress seems to be heading for a lonely fight.
Most political parties in the fray have been attracting voters with freebies. The electorate should not get swayed by such promises and elect a party that will work for the public interest.
Jai Prakash Gupta, Ambala
Sir — The poll campaign in Delhi has plunged into mere mud-slinging. The prime minister has accused Arvind Kejriwal of building a ‘Sheesh Mahal’ with public money and branded the AAP as “aapda” (disaster). Narendra Modi’s rhetoric is likely to find resonance among the voters given that many top AAP leaders have been incarcerated on corruption charges.
Kejriwal, too, has played his card well by writing a letter to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, Mohan Bhagwat, emphasising the misdeeds of the BJP.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Young blood
Sir — The article, “Ageing Parliament” (Jan 8), by Pankaj K. Patel and T.V. Sekher highlighted the lack of representation of the youth in India’s lawmaking process. This can be attributed to various factors, including disillusionment among the youth, societal perception of politics and so on. Further the complexities of India’s political system are overwhelming for young people
to navigate.
Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta
