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This is an archive article published on April 19, 2010
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Opinion Taming khaps

The editorial ‘Marriage by decree’ has correctly pointed out why khap panchayats are now demanding an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act in the aftermath of the court verdict...

The Indian Express

April 19, 2010 02:08 AM IST First published on: Apr 19, 2010 at 02:08 AM IST

• The editorial ‘Marriage by decree’ has correctly pointed out why khap panchayats are now demanding an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act in the aftermath of the court verdict in the Babli-Manoj honour killing case,to legitimise their unlawful activities. Their gall and temerity are only too evident. Police inaction,political patronage (overt or covert),the slow dispensation of justice have emboldened them to become a law unto themselves. Khap panchayats must be tamed to prevent the spread of obscurantism in the country.

— Satwant Kaur

Mahilpur

PC protection

• This refers to ‘Digvijay slams PC’s Naxal Policy,Aiyar says ‘1 lakh per cent right”. Is it not strange that both the worthies,one a former CM of undivided Madhya Pradesh,the other a former Union minister in charge of panchayats till recently,should be jumping at the throat of someone who is handling a tough job,having inherited the Naxal problem because his two traducers of today failed to make an impact on the problem that is Dantewada when they had some responsibility in the area? One has heard that “truth emerges when robbers fall out”,but here it is a case of partners and party functionaries falling out and blaming someone who is discharging his tough tasks competently.

— Prasad Malladi

Nidadavole

Quit squabbling

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• Digvijay Singh’s latest attack on Home Minister P. Chidambaram,strongly endorsed by another loyalist of the dynasty who was recently rewarded with nomination to the Rajya Sabha,Mani Shankar Aiyar,underlines a sad spectacle of disharmony in the Congress and the UPA. At a time when the Maoist menace is enlarging its deadly footprints in vast swathes of India,it requires a united,massive mobilisation of forces to overpower the anti-national upsurge. However,tragically,the Singhs and Aiyars are undermining and sabotaging the national resolve. Sonia Gandhi must rise above the din and put her foot soldiers in their place.

— M. Ratan

New Delhi

Devil in IPL details

• Apropos the editorial ‘A dash of sunlight’,the whole Tharoor-IPL saga bears out the fact that doomsday calls of cricket puritans over the IPL format are not just empty rhetoric. In the huge marketing carnival that the IPL is,the glorious sport of cricket has been well and truly laid siege to,by obscene amounts of money,lots of tamasha and fluff. And Tharoor is just a trickle — with the kind of money pouring in and the convoluted nature of team ownerships,we can remain assured that there is a deluge of political connections just waiting to be brought to the open.

— Rahul Gaur

Gurgaon