• In a democracy, public money builds statues to perpetuate the memory of national heroes. Only dictators infatuated with themselves, or insecure enough, erect their own statues. Not withstanding her achievements, or the likelihood of her narcissism or insecurity, Mayawati’s obsession with erecting her own statues violates the essence of democratic government. Had she stuck to Dalit icons such as Jotiba Phule, Savitri, Ambedkar, Jagjivan Ram, Kanshi Ram or K. Narayanan, nobody would have complained. Yet, while such statues would have reminded people of the Dalit struggle for social justice, the UP chief minister should know that the best tribute to heroes is to follow their example.

— Y.G. Chouksey

Pune

• Kanchan Chandra seems to have a surprising soft corner for Mayawati’s politics of self-glorification. Whether the statues are demolished or not at some future date is irrelevant. But there’s no doubt that she has wasted huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. This is governance at its worst that she may pay dearly for in the next assembly elections. Also, thanks to her self-perpetuation spree, the country knows better just what kind of PM she would make.

— M.K. Bajaj

Zirakpur

Tale of two ministers

• Mamata Banerjee’s “mamta” towards West Bengal and the “prasads” offered to Bihar by Lalu Prasad as are well debated. To avoid such controversies, the PM should annually rotate the Railway ministry. A cabinet member should be the Union Railway minister, and five ministers of state — from five different states — should assist him/ her. By the end of the government’s term, the PM would have had Railway ministers from almost all states, with world-class stations, new trains, coach factories, shopping malls, hospitals and colleges for the whole country, courtesy Indian Railways.

... contd.