Letters to the Editor

Cow policy

EVER since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government stormed into power at the Centre, there has been no dearth of instances across the country pointing to its unbridled enthusiasm in implementing policies clearly aimed at intimidating religious minorities and marginalised sections of society such as Dalits (Cover Story, November 10). The rise of cow vigilantes in BJP-ruled States against those involved in the cattle trade is a cause for great concern. These States have instituted unwarranted restrictions on the cattle trade. The livelihoods of millions of farmers and cattle traders are in disarray now. The menace of stray cattle must come to an end sooner rather than later. It is time that these States took stringent action against cow vigilantes and refrained from measures that affect poor farmers and cattle traders.

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu

THE Prime Minister seems to be working hand in glove with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as can be seen with the Centre’s decision on the sale of cows for slaughter. The cow menace is palpable across BJP-ruled States, and cow vigilantes, who are nothing but lumpen elements, are having a field day.

With elections due in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the cow menace could turn out to be a monster for the BJP.

S. Murali, Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Air pollution

SADLY, the Supreme Court’s temporary ban on the sale of firecrackers in the NCR did not have the desired effect as many people burst crackers on Deepavali (“Breathing space for the capital”, November 10). There was an overall reduction in pollution levels, though. This start that the Supreme Court has made must result in better awareness of the health hazards of air and noise pollution. All citizens must think of the nation first rather than of their customs and habits.

Mahesh Kapasi, New Delhi

Gravitational waves

IT is well known that chirp-like pulses are generated in electronic amplifiers by feedback (“Catching cosmic chirps”, November 10). Are the LIGO chirps caused by gravitational waves from outer space as claimed or by electronics? To completely settle the question, it is an absolute must that independent investigators check this using a matching noise generator over a similar period of time. Otherwise, the far-too-few events (four in two years) assigned indirectly to far-off (in space and time!) sources are not convincing. Recall the fate of the European neutrino speed experiments.

T.M. Jayaraman, Palakkad, Kerala

Nationalism

ONE cannot but admire A.G. Noorani for his candid, incisive, scholarly and relentless campaign to expose the sham and hypocrisy of the Sangh Parivar (“Betrayal of Indian nationalism”, November 10). The violent strides the Sangh has been making, particularly in recent decades, to the detriment of history and reality is so alarming that if we cannot wield the truth as our sole weapon, we may soon have to exclaim like the German philosopher Martin Heidegger was supposed to have done: “Only a God can save us.”

H. Pattabhirama Somayaji, Mangaluru, Karnataka

The economy

CONCEPTUALLY, demonetisation and GST may be sound, but the implementation was lousy, affecting all and sundry adversely (Cover Story, October 27). If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, this twin-pudding leaves a sour taste in the mouth. The one-size-fits-all approach in the GST to economic entities regardless of their size ended up favouring only big business. The Jan Dhan Yojana was well conceived and satisfactorily implemented, but over 40 per cent of JDY accounts are “second accounts”, which dilutes the very purpose of the scheme. The imaginative and gargantuan Swachh Bharat Mission has failed to gather the expected momentum. The too-little, too-late cosmetic exercises being carried out as damage control may not stem the rot.

Ayyasseri Raveendranath, Aranmula, Kerala

I THANK Frontline for the excellent Cover Story, which was well explained and analysed. The government’s bad policy decisions on the economy, which is in a tailspin, are affecting people adversely. Its economic policies are only useful to corporates. BJP leaders and the Amit Shah-Modi team are threatened by the political progress of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, which has allied with local parties , especially in States facing Assembly elections.

Muhammed Adil Edayannur, Kannur, Kerala

I WISH to applaud Frontline for the Cover Story, especially the article “Unrealistic initiative”, which gave a clear picture of the Centre’s rural electrification schemes. Modi once declared that the whole of India would be electrified before 2019, but it is clear that the government is not taking the steps needed to achieve this. Instead, it is promoting worthless projects that can be shown to the masses as a great thing but which in reality will surely cause a budget deficit. An economic crisis is looming.

N. Haseeb Rahman, Mannarkkad, Kerala

THE nexus between politicians and industrialists that has allowed the swindling of public funds over the decades is what has caused the present economic crisis. Nationalised banks were in danger of collapse because of NPAs, bad debts and ineffective regulatory checks until the drive former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan launched to clean bank balance sheets. Recent laws targeting chronic defaulters flopped owing to half-hearted implementation and legal hurdles.

M.N. Bhartiya, Alto-Porvorim, Goa