Bandh menace

The Bharat Bandh called by the Congress and supported by some Opposition parties over rising fuel prices did not serve any useful purpose. On the contrary, bandhs only inconvenience the general public, robbing workers of their daily wages and denying food to the people who rely on eateries. There are various other ways to express dissent. Calling for a bandh is nothing short of branding the buffalo when the ox is down with fever. Skirmishes between the proponents and opponents sometimes result in violence. But what political parties of all hues want is to score political brownie points .

Bengaluru

The Tamil Nadu government has been showing interest in the premature release of the convicts involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The move coming in response to a plea by Perarivalan, one of the convicts, for premature release under Article 161 of Constitution was rightly opposed by the Centre. But the Supreme Court has put the onus on the Tamil Nadu Governor, Banwarilal Purohit, to consider the plea of Perarivalan. AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar is of the view that the government was reflecting the sentiments of the people of the State. It is true that a Governor is bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by Chief Minister in considering the recommendations of government. In consonance with this view, he has stated that the Governor need not take the advice of the Centre vis-à-vis this issue. Constitutionally or legally, the Governor’s hand is not tied to take decision in the matters recommended by the States. Rather, he is supposed to honour the recommendations of the government. But premature release of hardcore criminals is also not in the best interest of the nation. Death sentence is imposed in the rarest of rare cases. Though Rajiv Gandhi’s killing falls in this category, the court had not awarded death sentence to the assailants. While sparing the life of convicts is in itself a good gesture, the government should have strong ground to believe that the released convicts do not cause further harm to the society.

Hassan, Karnataka

SEBI have mandated conversion all the physical stocks/shares/securities into demat form. The last date for submission for conversion has been fixed as December 5. This is not desirable move. Only if a holder of security proposes to trade or sell the process of dematerialisation comes to picture. If one has no intention of selling , he/she must be free to have them in physical form too. It is hoped that SEBI reconsiders its decision. For instance, if you own a house, you must be free to register the same with the appropriate authority. One shouldn’t be forced to register the same with a real-estate dealer or agency. SEBI must allow the option of holding stocks in physical form too.

Mysuru

This is with reference to ‘Dialogue and after’ (September 8). In the 1962 Indo-China war, the Russian press of the day squarely blamed us for it. If the US came to our help then, it was to spite the USSR. After China’s first nuclear test in 1964, the US had started giving us tacit support to our own nuclear programmes.

But when it is about the ever uncertain Indo-Pak realtions, the US did not mind being on the same page with China, as in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Notwithstanding the recent tough by the US, its tilt towards Pakistan has been overt, irrespective of the incumbent at the Oval office, due to their long engagement in Afghanistan. A flurry of agreements could well be part of the overall Trump agenda for this volatile region. The onus of our bilateral ties with the US would lie more with the latter.

Navi Mumbai

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.