Secular intervention

If former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan humbled Laloo Prasad Yadav during the elections in Bihar, the present CEC J.M. Lyngdoh, armed with the Supreme Court's verdict on Article 324 of the Constitution, has humbled Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat by forcing a ban on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's `Vijay Yatra' and by keeping a close watch on the speeches delivered by Modi during his `Gaurav Yatra' ("Secular Intervention", December 6).

It was unfortunate that the BJP sought to term the ban on the VHP yatra as unprecedented and inappropriate, saying that it was an infringement on democracy, affecting the right to freedom of speech and expression.

By comparing the VHP's yatra to the election campaigns of the Congress in which posters of the bullet-ridden body of Indira Gandhi, and later of the burnt jeep with the body of the Australian missionary Graham Staines were used, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley has equated the BJP with the Congress, although the BJP claims itself to be a `party with a difference'. Jaitley should know that `two wrongs do not make a right'.

The subject and timing of the VHP's yatra was meant to polarise votes on communal lines. Nevertheless, it was satisfying that the Gujarat government heeded the Election Commission's advice to ban the yatra.

The `bolt from the blue' came from Prime Minister Vajpayee, who stood firmly behind the Commission and appealed to all organisations to help the Gujarat administration in discharging its duty. By putting the nation above his party, Vajpayee demonstrated that he knew his `Rashtradharma' well and that he would uphold it at any cost.

The Congress, other Opposition parties and the various Muslim organisations appreciate Vajpayee's stand and support him. S. BalakrishnanJamshedpur

It is fortunate that we have a gentleman like Lyngdoh as our Chief Election Commissioner. But, for political gain, politicians are abusing officials who are straightforward and nurturing those who are ready to bend the rules. The BJP has nothing to be proud of except communal riots and yatras. So it is natural for the party to hate a man like Lyngdoh who puts obstructions in the path of their hate politics. S. RobinsonMelakrishnanputhur, Tamil Nadu

Jammu and Kashmir

Populist measures will not work in Jammu and Kashmir (``Mufti's turn'', November 22). Just to please the people of the State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed cannot go on releasing prisoners. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) is essential for the State but its misuse must be prevented. It will not help the country if the politicians take short-term steps to gain political mileage. The long-term implications have to be kept in mind.

There has been an upsurge in terrorist activities in the State once again. We are all aware what the problem is and must focus on the solutions now. Firstly India should stop looking up to the United States for its opinion. Most of India's decisions are based on reactions of the U.S. This has only helped Pakistan internationalise the Kashmir issue, which India never wanted.

It would not be out of place to ask if the 10-month-long Operation Parakram achieved what it was intended to. I do not doubt the commitment of the armed forces, but political interference in their work can tie them down. There should have been action; inaction despite mobilisation has rendered India a soft state. We believed the promise that Pakistan gave to the U.S. that it would do its bit to stop cross-border terrorism, and restrained ourselves from waging war.

Pakistan has still not released the 20 wanted men as demanded by the Government of India, nor has the militancy stopped. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to blast the Chechen rebels is exemplary. India must take its own stand now, and a firm one. India must act now. Indrajit BoseCuttack

Animals in research

The Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) is nominated by the Central government and consists of representatives of various government departments and scientific institutions as well as representatives of voluntary organisations ("The case for animals in research", November 22). At present there are 27 members in the National Committee. In addition there are about 150 nominees (professionals, usually in the sphere of academics and law with experience in animal welfare) authorised by the CPCSEA to inspect animal houses. These nominees also represent the CPCSEA on institutional animal ethics committees. During an inspection, nominees are required to see whether the animal houses of institutes follow the regulatory norms prescribed by the law. The CPCSEA's function is statutory and its interest is the outcome of `good science' or research which results in reliable and reproducible data obtained by experimentation on healthy animals of defined genealogical stock. Records reveal that experiments have been carried out by more than one scientist on ailing or aged animals and that the recommended diet is bought only on paper. We also come across antiquated experimental techniques, such as blood extraction by removing the eyeballs of smaller animals or by puncturing the heart, where alternatives are available.

Most developed countries have been taking to alternative research techniques since the results from animals have proved fatal when applied on humans. Medical World News reports that more than 95 per cent drugs which had passed animal experiments were later withdrawn from the market.

The CPCSEA demand for transparency in institutional practices for animals has no linkage with liberation camps, and there is no need for that as India is one of the few countries where the Constitution protects animals. But it is ironical that so little is done to implement these laws.

The continuous shifting of the committee from one Ministry to another is reflective of the expurgatory devices used by interested parties in power to prevent public scrutiny into big business and to make the committee more pliable. It is high time we devised institutions for transparent research rather than blunting scientific modernisation by firing cannons on those who raised such issues.Dr. Amita Singh, Associate Professor, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University Sonya Ghosh, Reader, College of Vocational Sciences, Delhi University(Both CPCSEA nominees)New Delhi

Praful Bidwai's has obviously not researched the laboratory animals issue well enough. The CPCSEA's objective is to regulate the conditions of purchase, housing and experimentation of laboratory animals as is done in all countries across the globe. I challenge Bidwai to produce a single CPCSEA rule that is anti-vivisectionist in nature.

It is not clear what Praful Bidwai means by accusing the CPCSEA of a `Confrontationist attitude'. Does he mean to say that asking institutes to implement the law is out of a confrontationist attitude? If so, and if this has pejorative connotations, why does he ask the State similarly to implement the law of the land in matters relating to the Gujarat killings?Geeta SheshamaniNew Delhi

Praful Bidwai has not mentioned the use of animals in routine dissection in colleges. Thousands of animals are dissected in Delhi University colleges and medical schools each year, almost all of them supplied by illegal dealers. Animals dissected include mice, rats, worms, lizards, rabbits, gulneapigs, birds, dogs, cats and fish lifted from their natural habitats or even stolen and miserably treated in the process of being captured, transported, and experimented upon.

Formaldehyde, a chemical preservative linked to cancer of the throat, lungs, and nasal passages, is used to embalm animals used in dissection. There is little data on what long-term effects inhaling formaldehyde will have on teachers and students. Course requirements of an undergraduate zoology course include capturing and killing a hundred butterflies for a total of five marks. Can we afford to continue this senseless practice in an age when medical schools like Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Columbia have phased out animal laboratories and students the world over are exercising their right to refuse to dissect?Pramesh RatnakarNew Delhi

I am a CPCSEA nominee of two Delhi-based institutes experimenting on animals. I also run a shelter for the rehabilitation of monkeys used in experiments. I have rehabilitated from the National Institute of Immunology a monkey with a missing arm and another with a cleft palate. Some monkeys sent from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences were so deformed with osteoporosis, from being confined in four feet by three feet cages for over 20 years, that their hind legs appeared to have shrunken away entirely. Some monkeys at the National Institute of Virology had bitten away their fingers because of prolonged captivity. Most of these monkeys suffered from contagious diseases and had to undergo intensive treatment.Why is such needless cruelty practised in the name of science?Gautam GroverDelhi Nuclear energy

Among the alternative sources of energy, nuclear power has proven to be benign when safely managed and has very little impact on the environment ("A case for nuclear energy", December 6). Nuclear power virtually produces no sulphur dioxide, particulates, nitrogen oxides or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Atmospheric levels of carbondioxide are increasing at a rate of over 0.4 per cent a year. This is mainly due to the use of fossil fuels for energy production, with an associated 1.5° to 4.5° C in global temperature.

Nuclear power, however, is expensive, and the long gestation period leads to cost escalation. It also has a long pay-back period. Over and above this is the "decommissioning" and "plant life-extension" costs and the problem of waste disposal. Cost-effectiveness can be achieved by liberalising the electricity and energy markets.

The best chance for sustainable development - to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs - lies in allowing all energy supply options to compete, improve and contribute on a level playing field on the basis of cost-effectiveness, environmental protection and safety.A.S. RajReceived on e-mail The ASI and a temple

The article "Uproar over a temple" (December 6) was a sound and well-balanced analysis of the controversy over the Archaelogical Survey of India's move to declare the Arunachaleswara temple at Tiruvannamalai a national monument.

It is a cruel irony that the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Department supports the business encroachments and at the same time makes extravagant claims over pujas and festivals, including the recent mahakumbhbishekam .

The mass protest led by the temple trustees and the local municipal chairman was politically motivated.R.R. SamiTiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu Saffron offensive

The article "A saffron offensive in Kerala" (December 6) drives home the point how the Hindutva brigade's venomous and sustained communalism paves the way for other forms of intolerance. As a former student of the NSS Hindu College, Changanacherry, I was amazed to learn that a recent college magazine put out by the ABVP, which holds sway there at present, contains many provocative pieces of writing denigrating Islam and secularists. It is high time the Nair Service Society (NSS), instead of sticking to its pet idea of keeping equal distance from the political parties with a view to making political mileage out of it, started a social movement aimed at correcting these aberrations here and now. I have always felt that writers like Paul Zachariah and Dr. K.N. Panikkar take up issues not to highlight the cause of a particular religious group but to criticise, if necessary, the Hindutva slander campaign. K.M. Ajir KuttyEdava, Kerala Food security

A recent World Health Organisation report says that 20 per cent of rural Indians do not get one square meal a day; 14 per cent of Indians get less than the minimum calorie intake required to survive; and about 25 per cent of Indian children are severely stunted. This abysmal situation exists despite the claim that our granaries are overflowing with 65 million tonnes of foodgrains and there is a free flow of foodgrains, sugar and edible oils across the country ("Hunger deaths in Baran". December 6).

In view of the starvation deaths, malnutrition and widespread poverty reported from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala which boasts an enviable position in human development, one really wonders at the Central government's claim that it has assured food security and availability of essential commodities to the poorest of the poor. When a huge chunk of our population lies below the poverty line and people die for want of food, our claim on self-sufficiency in food is a cruel joke.K.P. RajanMumbai