Priyanka for Parliament

Refer to ‘Priyanka’s poll debut’; she has been a star campaigner for the Congress party and had actively participated in Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. She made an instant connect with the masses, thanks to her charismatic personality. After all these years, she has finally decided to take the plunge. Rahul’s decision to retain the Raebareli seat is a testament to the fact that Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest electoral stakes, is important for the Gandhis and the Congress. Priyanka will probably be a safe bet for the party in Wayanad. Her performance in Parliament will be keenly watched.

Bal Govind, Noida

Don’t whitewash history

With reference to the editorial ‘NCERT row’; the deletion of factual descriptions of or references to historic events does a disservice to the students. If the atrocities inflicted on Indians by the Mughals and the British can be described in detail in textbooks, why alter references to more recent events? The students have every right to learn about the past. Textbooks are revised from time to time. But the dark chapters in Indian history must not be whitewashed on the pretext of avoiding teaching pupils about violence. Omissions of references to riots will, rather, be more detrimental to the education of youngsters.

Ravinder Kwatra, Kurukshetra

Hybrid admission system a no-no

Apropos of the article ‘Clean up NEET to restore public confidence’; the writer has floated the possibility of a hybrid system for undergraduate medical admissions, with weightage for the NEET score (say 50 per cent) and the balance weightage for the score in the Class XII board examination or other similar performance criteria. Such a proposal, if implemented, will be marred by the widespread use of unfair means at exam centres. This would give an unfair advantage to the students who cheat. Besides, internal assessment by school teachers also influences the Class XII results. Factors like bias and favouritism must be taken into account.

Rajesh Goyal, by mail

Learn from past mishaps

Refer to ‘Bengal train tragedy’; the rail mishap that claimed around 10 lives and injured more than 40 people is most unfortunate. Over the past few years, the Indian Railways has suffered from serious infirmities, such as signal failures and gross negligence. The government, which seems fixated on the modernisation of railways, must shift its focus to passenger safety. For a nation that boasts one of the largest rail networks in the world, such crashes are a blot on its safety record. It seems like the Railways has not learnt any lesson from past mishaps, like the collision involving the Coromandel Express and two other trains in Odisha’s Balasore district last year that snuffed out over 290 lives.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh

Crack down on corrupt cops

Apropos of the news report ‘Punjab cracks whip on cops aiding drug peddlers, 10K shifted in 3 days’; the fact that corruption runs deep in the Punjab Police is an open secret. Corruption trickles down from the top to the bottom. However, the crackdown on low-ranking officials who have been hand in glove with the peddlers won’t be enough unless the law of the land is followed in letter and spirit. The role of officers across ranks must be scrutinised. The Punjab Police badly needs an image makeover, which won’t be possible until the bad apples are taken care of.

Col RS Narula (retd), Patiala

Hardest hit by heatwave

The ongoing heatwave in India has worsened the working conditions of daily wage labourers, delivery agents and brick kiln workers. The scorching heat has thrown the spotlight on the harsh working conditions and challenges faced by those who work in the open. Despite the scorching heat, many of them are still being forced to toil under the midday sun. If they do not work, they won’t be able to feed their families. They are, hence, at a higher risk of suffering from heatstroke or some other heat-related complication. Many of them don’t even have access to basic amenities like clean water. Fresh initiatives to meet their needs and ensure their wellbeing are the need of the hour.

Priyanka Saurabh, by mail

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