Sunday letters

Honorary doctorates are a prescription for confusion
I agree with Khushwant Singh that only professional medical practitioners should bear the title 'doctor' (Time to coin another word for scholars, With Malice Towards One And All, May 22). The system of bestowing honorary doctorate degrees on politicians, actors and celebrities should be done away with.
Shaikh Rahat Jahan, via email

Going with the whole six yards
The article The female gaze (Focus, May 22) made for interesting reading. Though all the 'powerful' women politicians of India mentioned have distinct working styles, they, apart from Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, have one thing in common: all of them wear simple saris to maintain a traditional image. Could this be a strategy to connect with the masses?
Vasudevan, Airoli, Navi Mumbai

Things are not looking UP for a Rahul-led Congress
This refers to the article Rahul Gandhi, the serial (Chanakya, May 22). Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati is a shrewd politician. Over the years, she has mastered the art of appeasing all the communities in the state. Rahul Gandhi, in comparison, lacks political experience and knowledge. He is not yet a mass leader. The Congress needs someone who can be projected as an alternative to Mayawati in the 2012 polls. As Chankaya rightly says, it's impossible for Gandhi to win the confidence of the people of UP in such a short time.
BM Singh, Amritsar

II
Gandhi's entry into UP politics won't make any difference to the Congress. The people of UP must realise that every political party puts its own interests above public welfare. They shouldn't let any party take advantage of them and must vote for the one which promises to take note of their concerns.
Dilip Tetarbe, via email

III
It would be wrong to call Rahul Gandhi a politician. If he had even an iota of political wisdom, he wouldn't have let the BJP win in Andhra Pradesh. He also made a blunder by referring to VS Achuthanandan's age just before the recent assembly polls in Kerala. Winning the UP polls, or even improving the party's performance in the state, will be an uphill task for a Rahul-led Congress.
Bhartendu Sood, via email

Making no mistakes here
This refers to Manas Chakravarty's article The Indo-Pak letters (Loose Canon, May 22). The series of goof-ups in India's list of most-wanted fugitives to Pakistan highlights the incompetence of our security agencies and questions their credibility. The mistakes have brought embarrassment to India. What is more, home minister P Chidambaram tried to shirk his ministry's responsibility by blaming the Mumbai police and the Intelligence Bureau.
Shaikh Mohammed Zaid, Mumbai

II
Chakravarty's take on the home ministry's mistake was refreshingly new. From calling Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai as Hamid Halwai or wishing 'happy Pongal' to the Pakistan home minister, the entire article was rib-tickling.
Jitendra G Kothari, via email

All eyes on the government
Congratulations to the Hindustan Times for the survey on the UPA government's performance (Mid-term blues, People's Verdict, May 22). People are keeping a sharp eye on the ups and downs of the government, which has largely failed to deliver. Such awareness among people is important to ensure politicians don't take voters for granted.
MPS Chadha, Chandigarh

Homing in on perks
I agree with Karan Thapar that our politicians, unlike their British counterparts, hold on to official accommodation and cars even after their terms have ended (Resident experts, Sunday Sentiments, May 22). The same holds true for bureaucrats. Don't we know about the 'VIP culture' where 'influential people' can break laws and get away with it?
RK Kapoor, Chandigarh.