Letters

The arrest of Karti Chidambaram by the CBI is a blow to the Congress, especially as it comes at a time when the party has been attacking the present dispensation over the Punjab National Bank scam (“Karti Chidambaram held in INX Media bribery case”, March 1). Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress governments, when in the Opposition, have always blamed the CBI and other agencies for being tools of the Central government. It is high time that the CBI is given more autonomy to investigate corruption charges. Only then can the dream of a corruption-free India materialise.

Bankura

With the government facing increasing pressure as scams continue to tumble out of the vaults of banks, it is again the CBI that seems to be coming across as a “caged parrot”. The arrest of Mr. Chidambaram is on flimsy grounds and is a poor tactic of the government to divert attention from its own failures.

Hempur

The scams owing origin to the United Progressive Alliance regime don’t seem to be over. The perennial surfacing of multicrore embezzlement cases seems to suggest that whatever has been unearthed so far is only a minuscule portion. Whatever the outcome of this case, one thing is clear: probity in public life is thinning and the political-bureaucratic-corporate nexus is riding roughshod over public faith. Electorates are at a loss to comprehend in whose hands the country would be safer.

Chennai

The CBI must answer some questions: When the FIR was registered in May 2017, what held the agency back for so many months from initiating action against the persons in the report? If Mr. Chidambaram is not cooperating with the CBI, should they not follow the established procedure of issuing summons to him? Why arrest him?

Kadapa

The CBI claims to have recorded statements by Peter Mukherjea and Indrani Mukherjea that they met the then Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, in his office and he asked them to help his son’s business. The Mukherjeas have been in custody for over two years. Is this the first time they remembered such a meeting?

Chennai

Why is the Congress making a hue and cry about this being “political persecution” if it believes that Mr. Chidambaram is innocent? If he is not guilty, the party need not fear. He is not above the law. The law will take its own course.

Mumbai

With Sri Jayendra Saraswathi’s passing away, the nation has lost a great saint (“Kanchi pontiff Jayendra Saraswathi no more”, March 1). He leaves behind a mixed legacy. Though the Sankararaman murder case cast a shadow on his image in his later years, the pontiff will be largely remembered for his commiseration for the poor. He started educational institutions and hospitals for their welfare, actions that may have been seen as contentious as they were outside the domain of the strict religious practices of the mutt. Nevertheless, it is admirable that he had the courage and conviction to do this.

Chennai

It was not easy for a mutt that is rooted in Agama Shastras to thrive in a State dominated by Dravidian politics. Sri Jayendra Saraswathi attempted a marked departure from the traditional path, taking initiatives to promote social causes without making any compromises on the core principles on which the mutt stood. Education and health care received a new impetus during his tenure. Temple renovations received a boost. Above all, he was inclusive, visiting slums and Dalit colonies. He also visited the Sringeri Sankara Mutt, which surprised many.

Chennai

Students in India dread examinations. It is not the tough nature of exams that makes them fearful, it is that exams are considered “sacred” in our culture and any failure in exams is frowned upon (“Halving the syllabus, squaring knowledge”, March 1). Apart from introducing other forms of learning in our education system, teachers should be trained about the psychology of students, and parents should learn that exams aren’t the be all and end all of life.

New Delhi

The last 50 years have not been so easy for the Indian Space Research Organisation. Being a scientist at ISRO and posted at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, I would like to point out a few challenges (“Fifty years of TERLS”, March 1). One, the brain drain from India has been a major setback for all research and development institutions. Two, the attrition rate of employees is very high at ISRO. Three, stringent embargoes have been imposed by developed countries on ISRO, which prohibit it from procuring advanced machinery and instruments. As a result, a lot of time, money and manpower is spent on developing those instruments in-house. Four, there is also political interference. However, despite all these problems, it is indisputable that ISRO is the best-performing government body in India.

Thiruvananthapuram

It is intriguing to see the UIDAI publish advertisements glorifying Aadhaar. It is noteworthy that it did not feel the need to reach out to the public before the Supreme Court started its final hearing in the case. As for the specific claim of reuniting missing children through Aadhaar, it does not prove that children did not get reunited in the pre-Aadhaar era. Nor does it show why everyone should register for Aadhaar, sometimes against their choice. One hopes that the UIDAI will educate people as to how Aadhaar ensures the security of data, improves access to welfare schemes, and how nobody can be denied her due rights for not having an Aadhaar?

Delhi