This is no reflection on the rest of the work the NKC has done, nor on the integrity of its members. This simply illustrates something your own work on public institutions in India has brought to our attention: the best of our institutions suffer from lack of self-restrain leading to institutional indiscretion. The NKC’s role in Mandal II was no exception.

Towards the end of your letter you remind us, and quite rightly so, of how critical ‘public reason’ is to democracies. This encouraged me to go public with this letter to you. I look forward to carrying this exercise in public reason,

I remain, your friend and admirer
Yogendra Yadav

(The author is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies)
yogendra.yadav@gmail.com