— Vitull K. Gupta

Bathinda

Draw the line

•The news that S.M. Krishna will return to active politics in Karnataka is no doubt good news for the Congress there, but brings bad tidings for the Indian polity. The governor’s office was supposed to be above the murky waters of politics, but with the UPA government in power we have seen this office used more as a VIP lounge for politicians before returning to active duty. Sushil Kumar Shinde is another example of this kind of practice. Little does the Congress realise that the governor’s office should not be corrupted with the taint of politics, for the good of India and its Constitution. It is important that we keep these lakshman rekhas intact for the good of India. We should appoint governors who are not connected with politics, though this is unlikely to happen, since political parties need some place to keep their senior leaders in cold storage.

— S. Kamat

Alto Betim, Goa

Elusive prize

•After the announcement of the country’s civilian awards, it seems that there is not a single person in this country who deserved the country’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. Who knows, the award selection committee might have nominated someone for the highest award for 2008, but L.K. Advani’s open letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in favour of A.B. Vajpayee, and the long lists drawn up by the major political parties, could have changed their mind. Which goes to prove that it is not that we lack leaders, but that political influence ends up maligning the nation’s highest award.

... contd.