Agnipath aftermath
Some of the tweaks to the Agnipath scheme — an afterthought — are too little a concession to calm the anger of frustrated job aspirants. Unless their principal grievance of a drastically reduced tenure of four years for 75% of such men without any post-release benefits is withdrawn and tenure rules existing till now are restored, the agitations are only likely to intensify. Even from the military point of view, such radical changes in the recruitment rules seem totally unwarranted. Letting such trained soldiers go home after barely four years of service does not make any military sense either. The least the Government can do is to suspend the scheme.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
Bulldozer politics
When lawmakers turn lawbreakers, as is happening in Uttar Pradesh, the judiciary is probably the only hope left for the citizenry. But, are mere declarations by the judiciary sufficient to rein in an executive which is trampling on the life, liberty and property of citizens with impunity? How does one hold officials who are flouting laws accountable? In the current context in the country, Uttar Pradesh is perceived to be a laboratory of majoritarianism to perfect techniques to marginalise the minorities. One shudders to think of the day when bulldozers start rolling out to other parts of the country.
Manohar Alembath,
Kannur, Kerala
