Sir — The state government had said in June that it will do away with the ‘commission system’ of earning for bus drivers and conductors. The ‘commission system’ — under which bus workers earn a certain percentage of the day’s earning — leads to more road accidents in Calcutta. Buses are often driven recklessly in order to pick up a higher number of passengers. It is sad that hardly anything has changed in all these months. Only last week, I boarded a bus from Rashbehari Crossing. As soon as another bus plying on the same route appeared, the two started to dangerously race past each other.
Rohit Bhattacharjee,
Calcutta
Feeling the jitters
Sir — It seems that the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is fast losing the ability to make forceful speeches. In an election rally in Chhattisgarh, Modi blamed the Congress for not doing enough to develop the Naxal-infested Bastar region in the state. However, Raman Singh from the Bharatiya Janata Party has been the chief minister of the state since 2003; so there is no logic in blaming the Congress now for the backwardness of the Bastar area.
The prime minister also targeted the purported “urban Maoists” for living “in AC rooms in cities” and sending their own children abroad for studies. Modi said that these ‘urban Maoists’ try to destroy the lives of tribal children. One wants to know whether Modi can furnish any evidence to justify his claims. It appears that Modi is under immense pressure from the Opposition on the Rafale issue and so he is desperately trying to divert the attention of the public by making unsubstantiated allegations.
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad
Sir — Narendra Modi accused the Congress of backing ‘urban Maoists’. It seems that he was referring to the five rights activists, who were arrested by the Pune police in August, as ‘urban Maoists’. The BJP government at the Centre has failed to deliver the promises that Modi had made prior to the general elections in 2014. Therefore, Modi is now jittery that the electorate in the upcoming assembly elections will vote to defeat his party. He has no legitimate issues to raise, so he is harping on the ‘urban Maoist’ theory.
Modi’s allegations also betray his unwillingness to respect divergent opinions. It would be poignant to recall here that the apex court recently described dissent as the safety valve of democracy. Modi should be more accommodating of critical views.
S.S. Paul,
Nadia
Island trouble
Sir — The decision of the president of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, to dissolve Parliament is shocking (“Sirisena dissolves Lanka parliament”, Nov 10). His move is an assault on democracy. Sirisena wanted to instal Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister. To that effect, he sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe. But it seems that even after dismissing Wickremesinghe, Sirisena failed to muster enough support for Rajapaksa in the House. That must have prompted him to dissolve Parliament. The president could have instead asked either Rajapaksa or Wickremesinghe to take a floor test. The island country is now staring at a constitutional crisis.
N.R. Ramachandran,
Chennai
Brilliant knock
Sir — Indian cricketers are making the nation proud. The men’s cricket team comprehensively defeated the Caribbeans in the Twenty20 series at home recently. And our women cricketers, too, are playing brilliantly. The captain of the women’s team, Harmanpreet Kaur, scored 103 runs off 51 balls against New Zealand in the ongoing women’s World T20 tournament (“Hurricane Harmanpreet strikes, India win opener”, Nov 10). Kaur peppered her innings with seven boundaries and eight over-boundaries. In the process, she has become the first Indian woman to score a century in the shortest format of the game. But what is more remarkable is that Kaur achieved the feat in spite of battling stomach cramps. She and Jemimah Rodrigues put on a 134-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rodrigues hit a half-century. One hopes that Kaur and her teammates continue to play well and bring the Cup home.
Pramatha R. Bhattacharya,
Calcutta
Sir — Cricket fans in India will remember Harmanpreet Kaur’s knock for a long time to come. She played a stellar role in India’s victory over New Zealand. The 103 runs put up by Kaur helped India to post the highest-ever total in the history of women’s World T20. Kaur is rightly called ‘Hurricane Harman’ and ‘Harmanator’ by her fans.
Last year, India fell agonizingly short of bringing the 50-over World Cup home. If Indian women can win the World T20 this year, it will more than make up for that heartbreak.
Rhea Roy,
Calcutta