Caste census
The Bihar Chief Minister’s meticulously crafted mission, an all-party contingent, to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a caste-based census is timely (Page 1, August 24). Since the last such census was undertaken, the country’s population has grown exponentially. No political party that has ruled since Independence has thought it wise to take up the job for reasons best known to them. The creation of a comprehensive database on the numerical strength of each caste in the country will only enable the Government to have a clear picture as well so as to evolve appropriate laws and pieces of legislation to extend all mandated welfare-related schemes.
V. Johan Dhanakumar,
Chennai
Opposition unity
The efficacy and success of Opposition unity in India will be found wanting as long as the BJD, TRS, YSRCP, BSP and SP are reluctant to join forces (Editorial page, “Bonding rites”, August 24). Drafting a mutually acceptable common minimum programme will be a Herculean and thankless task for the Opposition front. Another seemingly insurmountable obstacle will be the taming of the ‘inflated’ egos of the leaders, all wanting to be designated as the Front’s leader or prime ministerial candidate. How far the Congress and the strong regional parties are willing to adopt a policy of ‘give and take’ will be another ticklish issue. If the parties want to build a credible front against the BJP and entertain any realistic chance of succeeding, they will all have to make selfless sacrifices in order to achieve the common and larger goal.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Malippara, Kothamangalam, Kerala
MPs and Bill scrutiny
The Chief Justice of India’s assumption is that better the quality of parliamentary debates, the more unambiguous the laws are. This is a debatable correlation. The question is do our Members of Parliament have the knowledge and expertise to scrutinise bills clause by clause and pick out ambiguities if any? They do not seem to attach any importance to the law’s semantic clarity. Even if the draft bills are circulated in advance the MPs do not seem to be keen to do their homework of scrutiny. Parliamentary committees can check the law’s indeterminateness only if the MPs can discuss the Bills in a non-partisan manner. Maybe, knowledgeable citizens can play a role in drafting laws.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
Paralympics
The Paralympics have started in Tokyo and one wishes the sportsmen and women luck. The Indian contingent deserves to be encouraged to the same level as we did for the contingent that has returned from Japan. Let us mainstream these sportspersons as it is still Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communis for them too.
Satish Srinivasan,
Bengaluru
