Politics and rationality

One can pacify oneself by saying that not every politician is a scholar and that it is better not to expect accurate facts and data even from popular leaders. The problem arises when a former civil servant also starts making absurd statements. Bureaucrats were till now expected to be more rational and logical than politicians given their qualifications, having cleared a tough and competitive examination and also having valuable experience from administrating the country. But even this appears to be changing. Either we can drop such expectations now or choose to believe that such statements are a deliberate attempt to divert people’s attention from the real issues (Editorial page – “Into the brave new age of irrationality”, May 4).

Sumit Bhardwaj,

Mohali, Punjab