Promote social evolution

Promote social evolution Suppression of the rights of women in Saudi Arabia is a direct insult to the Quran and the Prophet. The Islam and the Prophet are liberal and grant rights to women almost on equal terms with men. But  the Saudi Arabian religious leaders are conservative, which is a matter of great concern. Of late, the Saudi royal family has been seen as becoming more liberal, reflecting the true spirit of Islam. King Abdullah needs to be congratulated on his bold steps to permit women to exercise their right to vote and stand as candidates in the 2015 municipal elections. it is true that municipal councils are said to be powerless. But in due course, these councils may become powerful. Islam believes in democracy, where men and women are equals. The orthodoxy had dominated the society till now. Instead of a social revolution, it is better to promote social evolution in conservative society. Any change is welcome. Let us congratulate the Saudi Royal family and the determined Saudi women.—Mumtaz Ali Khan, Bangalore

Trust deficitSurprisingly ‘our’ Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh trusts P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee even after knowing the shattering facts from A Raja about the multi-million rupees 2G spectrum scam (wherein, the latter has named the Prime Minister too, for facts known to him). But the people of India trust nobody from Congress any more. In fact, in light of this scenario Congress has no moral right to stay in power any longer and it should step down gracefully to save its image as the national party.—Hansraj Bhat, MumbaiScale of corruptionAfter a close reading of the reports in the newspapers, one can come to the understanding that our elected representatives are busy looting nation without knowing the aftermath of their acts.  The net result of their desire to become rich overnight has landed them in jails and consequently the common man and the exchequer has to suffer silently. The people who had a good opinion about some of our elected representatives have been proven wrong. The Anna Hazare team thought it fit to ask for the formulation of a comprehensive anti-corruption bill. The central government should take a cue from them and make India a model for the least corrupt country in the world.—BS Raghavendra Rao, via emailA perfect comboWith Sachin,Yuvraj and Sehwag and Zaheer almost out of the series, it won’t be an easy task for India to contain the English team who are already high on confidence. With the entire responsibility being shouldered by Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, it would be a real test of character for the Indians on their home turf to clinch a victory from the enthusiastic English side. The batting department has still shown some courage but the real worry lies in the bowling department. The wickets in Asia are flat and batting-friendly so defending any total would be difficult. India has to make sure that they have the right kind of combination as per match.—Sankalp Shukla, MumbaiA case for SalemApropos ‘Portugal court revokes Abu Salem’s extradition’ (September 28), it  made for a depressing reading. The Portugal court has taken this drastic step on the grounds that the Indian government has not fulfilled its extradition treaty obligations with respect to the punishment meted out to the underworld don by the Indian trial court. The Supreme Court of India should politely but firmly tell the Portugal court that it cannot instruct our judiciary as to how it should conduct its business despite the treaty obligations. It may be recalled that some time ago, a Danish lower court refused to extradite Kim Davy of Purulia arms drop case to India, citing the poor human rights record of Indian jails, even though the extradition treaty between the two countries did not specify such things. The Danish government refused to interfere in the matter saying that their courts were independent and did not take orders from the government. Government of India should take the same stand in case the Portugese government turns the Salem case into a diplomatic incident. —V Rajalakshmi, MumbaiPM’s innocenceThere was a time when the media was singing praises of prime minister Manmohan Singh’s honesty and integrity (‘Not that innocent’, September 25). In spite of this, sceptics never subscribed to the theory that the PM was more sinned than a sinner in the 2G spectrum scam. It is impossible to believe that a scam of such proportions could have taken place without his knowledge, if not connivance. The sordid details that are emerging now, as to how the prime minister was repeatedly warned by his senior colleagues of the impending 2G spectrum scam and how he systematically ignored those warnings and allowed Maran and Raja to loot the country belies the myth of his innocence. —Arun Chandra, MumbaiTrue democracyAfter reading ‘Montek’s Indian about town, he spends a whopping Rs57 daily’, (September 24), one feels sad about the illogical and arrogant attitude of the Planning Commission. Unfortunately, in our country, even after more than 60 years of Independence, the government has not decided on the minimum standard of living that a person living in urban and the rural areas are supposed to follow, and all our laws (both at the Central and at the state level) are tuned in with this standard of living.  The bus fare and the train fare which are the basic necessities, apart from the charges one has to pay in the government/municipal hospitals, are they in tune with the minimum standard of living?  If Montek Singh Ahluwalia thinks that he can survive on Rs32 per day, then he should recommend that his salary per month be Rs960, with no perks. He should stop travelling by government car, should not live in government accommodation, and travel by public transport. Such a person is deciding the fate of millions of Indians. Citizens should have a role in deciding their future — and this is where we need democratic reforms. Our Parliamentary reforms should be focussed towards giving citizens a role in decision-making.— Deendayal M Lulla, Mumbai