No place for grace

Sir ? After prolonged dithering, the Congress finally forces Buta Singh to resign. It has eaten humble pie, and both the left and the National Democratic Alliance think it is their win. The Bharatiya Janata Party is, however, still discontented; it also wants the prime minister to resign. As for Buta Singh?s Republic Day salute (?Buta gets time for salute?, Jan 26), it was in order to respect his last wish before his resignation. Singh?s unconstitutional activities have sullied the images of both the governor and the prime minister, emboldening the opposition to cash in on the controversy. The Congress had no other option but to dismiss him when even the left changed its tune and joined the BJP in seeking Singh?s dismissal after the Supreme Court verdict. Now the Congress should not consider sending him to any other state. Singh should have stepped down as soon as the court judgment indicted him.

Yours faithfully,
Tarakdas Majumdar, Calcutta

Sir ? The strong indictment of Bihar?s governor, who had recommended the dissolution of the Bihar assembly on May 2005, comes as no surprise. It is imperative for the office of the governor to be held by apolitical citizens of eminence. Unfortunately, successive governments have degraded the appointments as a way of distributing political largesse and a convenient place to park senior politicians. It is not surprising therefore that these appointees are always willing to oblige the whims of the parties in office instead of being impartially guided by the constitutional provisions. Some of the actions, as in the case of Bihar, besides being undemocratic, place an unacceptable and unwanted burden on the exchequer. They also erode the credibility of constitutional offices in the eyes of an already jaded electorate. As the Supreme Court has suggested, it is necessary for all political parties to meet and agree on the eligibility criteria and selection methodology. The least that the United Progressive Alliance government can do is apologize to the nation for recommending the dissolution based on the governor?s report.

Yours faithfully,
C.N. Kumar, Bangalore

Sir ? The Supreme Court?s decision has come at a wrong moment for the Congress, which is supposedly in a purging process, and negates the claim that, under the leadership of the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, it has been pursuing clean politics. One hopes that the likes of Buta Singh will be prevented from occupying such responsible positions.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad

Sir ? Both the president of India and the prime minister should share the blame for which only Buta Singh has been indicted. The Congress, as a whole, is guilty of tampering with the Constitution. The UPA government seemed unwilling to honour the judgment of the apex court of India. The judgment also pronounced that the cabinet should have engaged in some introspection before declaring the dissolution. Buta Singh?s apparent disregard for the court?s orders does not augur well for the ruling party. It should oust him from the party rather than risk its already endangered reputation.

Yours faithfully,
C.R. Bhattacharjee, Calcutta

Sir ? The Janata Dal (United)-BJP combine has enough reasons to be grateful to Buta Singh as his decision indirectly facilitated fresh elections and a better mandate for the coalition.

Yours faithfully,
J. Akshay, Secunderabad

Sir ? Perhaps, Buta Singh took his controversial decision because of pressure from Lalu Prasad and the UPA. His action forced two assembly elections in eight months in Bihar, which drained the exchequer considerably. But the fact remains that the Central government was wilfully misled, and in turn, also misled the president. How urgent was the issue that a meeting had to be convened at midnight and a draft of the proclamation had to be sent to Moscow in the early hours of the morning for the president?s signature? Had the country been attacked?

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir ? Buta Singh had to go. In a way, we cannot blame him. How can a person who has been a politician for most of his life be expected to be non-partisan all of a sudden? Governors should play a substantial role in envisioning a cure for India?s ills. A governor?s post should not be a retirement gift to the aged and ailing party loyalists at the taxpayer?s expense. No government should ever appoint partisan governors, and a Raj Bhavan should never be used as a place from which to propagate the ideology of any political party. Former chief ministers, Union ministers and state party presidents should never be considered for the post as they are bound to carry political baggage with them.

Yours faithfully,
Aires Rodrigues, Mumbai

Sir ? The people of Bihar were suspicious that something was amiss when Buta Singh hastily recommended the dissolution of the assembly seven months ago (?Deeply flawed?, Jan 25). This misadventure has weakened not only the Congress?s credibility but also the sanctity of governorship. Let no governor or president ever indulge in action that has the risk of being labelled as self-seeking. Meanwhile, amidst all the chaos, the BJP is utilizing the opportunity to soil the image of the prime minister.

Yours faithfully,
Salil Gewali, Shillong

Sir ? A governor has to walk the tightrope between state and Centre. India should seriously think of removing this decorative post, which is part of the British legacy and without much significance in a modern democracy.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Angul, Orissa