Refer to ‘The truth hits home’ (Nous Indica); the BJP should be judged on the basis of Covid mismanagement. The cause for concern for democracy would be how future electioneering is conducted, rather than who wins. The provocative political discourse does not bode well for the future of our democracy. The politics of communal polarisation is here to stay. Huge rallies were held, throwing Covid precautions to the wind. We must reject politicians who can put our lives at risk in their pursuit of power, who talk only about religion and caste and not our real issues, who excel in election management and not in managing the country.

HL Sharma, Amritsar

UP different ball game

The impressions about the election results of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala may be correct, but one would be sceptical about the forecast of BJP’s probable defeat in the 2022 UP Assembly elections (‘The truth hits home’). The way the electorate has voted in West Bengal may not be replicated in UP. Bengalis have always been ‘argumentative Indians’ as they were pioneers of our nation’s renaissance wave which started from Calcutta in the late 18th and 19th centuries, with the opening of Western-style colleges and universities. In UP, the common people are still clinging to caste and religion. Be it upper-caste Hindus or Dalits, ‘Ramcharitmanas’ is recited at every family function in the countryside of central UP, Awadh and its eastern parts. It won’t be a surprise if the BJP retains power in UP because of the division of the biggest social block of rural and urban electorate — the OBCs, SCs and the minorities who happen to be under the influence of the SP and the BSP.

RAJ BAHADUR YADAV, Fatehabad

Data integrity must

Refer to ‘Covid response should be driven by data’; junk science promoting untested treatment or myths and fables has no place in managing the pandemic. The actual trends in many areas of health delivery should be assessed reliably. Such data when analysed for patterns enable us to make faster, more accurate decisions for improved outcomes. It is here that data integrity is very important, and more so in the healthcare sector as it impacts the health and lives of millions. Accurate data helps us gain valuable insights, avoid preventable complications, reduce the cost of healthcare delivery and improve the quality of life in general.

HN Ramakrishna, Bengaluru

Defies business ethics

Apropos of ‘Scrap faulty purchase pacts’, the suggestions by the association of engineers are not only ill-conceived but defy business ethics. Any unilateral action to scrap the power purchase pacts shall not stand judicial scrutiny and will discourage future investments. Even taking the suggestions at face value, can the state afford to lose around 4,000 MW of power from the IPPs? This would mean 6-8 hours of power cuts during paddy season, besides huge financial losses to PSPCL. Utilisation of cheaper coal from the Pachhwara mine would not be possible in the scenario of closure of private as well as state plants. The engineers’ body has failed to pinpoint the root cause for costlier power, which is due to the collapse of the state sector generation. Why did PSPCL not initiate steps to sell the land of the closed thermal plant at Bathinda, worth over Rs 8,000 crore, and invest equity to acquire generation assets of supercritical technology? Also, the association is silent on the theft of power worth Rs 1,500 crore. Who shall rein in the defaulters?

Malkit Singh, by mail

We, too, at fault

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has asked the pilgrims coming to gurdwaras to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour to check the spread of the disease. Better late than never. But what prevented the SGPC from implementing this earlier, knowing about the dangerous fallout? Have they calculated how much havoc they must have played with people’s lives by not enforcing these measures from day one? Surely, complacency is not the prerogative only of the much-maligned BJP. We, too, are equally responsible for the spread of the disease.

Balvinder, by mail

Question the government

The news report ‘Without work, daily wagers scared of hunger, not infection’ questions our democratic system. Why does the government not come forward with financial aid for citizens in such testing times? Heavily taxing citizens in general, the government has enough resources. However, its inclination is doubtful. People need to step up their role beyond just casting a vote. There is a need to audit government’s working for better prevalence of democracy.

MPS Chadha, Mohali

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