Heart over head
Sir — All is fair in love and war, or so goes the saying. A man in Punjab, Angrez Singh, seems to have taken the adage to heart as he donned women’s clothes and put on make-up to appear in an examination for the recruitment of public health workers in place of his girlfriend. The ruse was almost a success as his disguise did not appear out of place to the invigilators until the biometric verification was done — his fingerprints did not match those of the candidate. Such deception is well and good for winning hearts, but what happens when a fraudulently-recruited health worker is called on to respond to a heart attack?
Subhendu Chakraborty, Calcutta
Historic journey
Sir — M.K. Gandhi had inspired millions of oppressed people suffering under the yoke of British rule through the Quit India movement. Today I feel proud to witness similar yatras of a non-violent nature being undertaken by the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi. As part of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi will travel for several months and cover thousands of kilometres across India, speaking against divisive forces and inspiring millions to rise in protest against communal hatred and the lack of jobs.
Asim Boral, Calcutta
Sir — The BJNY led by the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, started from Manipur recently and is set to cover 15 states. After paying homage at the Khongjom War Memorial, the Gandhi scion cornered the Narendra Modi-led government over its insensitivity towards the people of Manipur. Although the yatra has attracted large crowds, questions remain about whether the party can convert these crowds into votes. For an ordinary Indian like me who has studied about padyatras initiated by our freedom fighters, it would be exciting to witness such a grand rally.
Aayman Anwar Ali, Calcutta
Sir — The BJNY spent two days in violence-hit Manipur, where the Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, interacted with people from various walks of life. Ethnic conflict continues to plague Manipur. People in that state have looked to the prime minister for respite but he has busied himself with visits to election-bound states. One hopes that the BJNY draws the Centre’s attention to Manipur.
Tauqeer Rahmani, Mumbai
Muzzled voices
Sir — It is astonishing that one of India’s leading public policy think tanks, the Centre for Policy Research, has been charged with violating the foreign funding law (“Govt throttles funding lifeline for think tank”, Jan 18). The reason cited for the cancellation of its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence is the alleged misuse of foreign funds for “undesirable purposes”. The CPR, however, has denied such allegations. The think tank is a vital cog in India’s policymaking ecosystem and has been globally lauded for its high-quality scholarship. Nevertheless, the steps taken by the Narendra Modi-led government to stop the influx of foreign funds — the cancellation of the FCRA licences of around 7,000 NGOs is a case in point — must be appreciated. These steps are necessary to safeguard the Indian economy.
Samaresh Khan, West Midnapore
Sir — The Central government has sought to covertly remove all dissenting voices. This has been confirmed, yet again, by the news that the FCRA licence of the CPR has been revoked. Some of the country’s most renowned scholars, diplomats and policymakers have worked with the CPR. It is not the only organisation under duress. Over the last 10 years, groups like Greenpeace India and Oxfam India have seen their licences either cancelled or not renewed. This proves that the current dispensation cannot tolerate dissent — we are the world’s largest democracy only on paper.
Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur
