Parallel power centres

Refer to ‘How Nehru viewed role of governors’; the governor’s role in a state is the same as that of the President at the Centre. In a state, the real power lies in the hands of the chief minister and his/her cabinet. Some governors have become a parallel power centre. In order to please their bosses at the Centre, they have started sitting on Bills passed by the respective state assemblies. This has forced the Supreme Court to make an intervention, which is construed as interference in the affairs of the executive. It is not a healthy trend. The powers of the governor are clearly mentioned in the Constitution and there is no scope for confusion or misinterpretation.

Ravinder Kumar Jain, Ludhiana

Right timing crucial to win war

Apropos of ‘For now, continue with war by other means’; proper planning and timing are crucial in a war. We defeated Pakistan in 1971 as then Army Chief Sam Manekshaw scripted the correct strategy with the right timing. He postponed offensive action by a few months in the backdrop of ill-suited ground conditions. Another important point is assessing the enemy’s power and support from third parties. In the present situation, we are on the back foot. India may have to fight on three fronts: China, Bangladesh and Pakistan. We should use diplomatic channels to build support in our favour and also win over Kashmiri Muslims. PM Modi should avoid war at all costs.

BM Singh, Amritsar

Admissions at graduate level

Refer to ‘Death before exam’; India’s exam-centric education system puts a lot of pressure on young minds. A radical reform is overdue. One effective long-term solution could be to restructure admissions by shifting to a graduate-entry model, as followed in the US. Students should be allowed to complete a graduation degree first. This approach allows for academic and emotional maturity, enables students to explore their interests and only keeps committed candidates in the race. Such a shift would require major policy change and investment in undergraduate science education.

Harsh Pawaria, Rohtak

Failures are pathways to success

Apropos of ‘Death before exams’; student deaths due to academic pressure are a disturbing trend. The issue needs deep introspection so as to save the lives of vulnerable students. They must be made to understand that exams are not a matter of life and death. And failure in any one exam is not the end of the road. Failures are pathways to success. They motivate students to put in extra effort to achieve their goals. They can do their best in any exam but can’t expect results to their liking. Everybody faces failure in life almost on a daily basis in one form or another.

Ravi Sharma, Dhariwal

Choose poverty as a key criterion

During its third consecutive term, the BJP has finally succumbed to the pressure of holding a caste census. What drove the BJP top brass to fall prey to the Opposition’s demand? Caste-based reservations provided since Independence have not yielded desired results. The poor remained steeped in poverty and the quota-based creamy layer skimmed off all the benefits meant for the welfare of the downtrodden. With the new caste count, more subdivisions are going to be created; this is bound to create more rivalry. Reservations have killed merit, and the deserving are running from pillar to post. For overall and speedy progress, the government must help the poor without considering caste or religion.

Karnail Singh, Kharar

Divide-and-rule policy

The Modi government’s decision to hold a caste census is nothing more than a strategy to win elections. Our society is already divided on caste lines. This game of ‘divide and rule’ was started by the British and perpetuated by our politicians thereafter. In the last 75 years, India’s major political parties have been in power at the Centre or in states. If they could not uplift the backward castes in all those decades, what makes them think that any government can do it in future? Politicians do not want to remove poverty or caste divisions. Any divide makes it easy for them to polarise voters during elections.

Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Fazilka

Letters to the Editor