Throw the doors open

Ramachandra guha in The children’s days (History Matters, November 13) makes a valid point that without inner-party democracy, electoral democracy is corrupted and corroded. But nepotism is not the monopoly of politicians alone.

Throw the doors openRamachandra guha in The children’s days (History Matters, November 13) makes a valid point that without inner-party democracy, electoral democracy is corrupted and corroded. But nepotism is not the monopoly of politicians alone. Look at the corporate sector or Bollywood. But in politics, prospective candidates should be made to compete with each other at the grassroots level. That way, if the progeny of politicians compete in this process, one can’t accuse their parents of promoting dynastic rule. But we are a nation of hypocrites, we only talk about political reforms.Surendra Kumar, Delhi

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IIRamachandra guha rightly states that it was not Jawaharlal Nehru but his daughter Indira Gandhi who created the dynastic rule dominating the Congress. But the Congress has perfected a system in which incompetent leaders have been assured cabinet berths for their mere obeisance to the dynasty. This malaise has now spread to other political parties as well. For a significant change there is a need for strong public will and a redefined political system with brave new leaders.Jl Ganjoo, Delhi

Far from the faithsadia dehlvi in Don’t give in to pretenders (November 12) is trying to praise the clerics who have condemned Zakir Naik. She is forgetting that what Naik has said had already been stated numerous times by various Islamic scholars. She should ponder over the fact that Sufism, which she calls Islamic ideology, is not at all related to Islam. In fact, it was a movement against mainstream religion per se, and Islam has even rejected the tenets of spiritual Sufism. The best example is Saudi Arabia, the epicentre of the Muslim world, where one cannot find any traces of Sufism.Mansoor Ilahi, via email

It’s horror, not honourWith reference to Preeti Singh’s article Decision-makers (November 13), it’s sad that while we are quick to applaud the achievements of Kalpana Chawla or Sunita Williams, women within the country itself are not given a chance to realise their potential due to social prejudices. It’s a national shame that girls are still killed due to a misguided sense of ‘family honour’.Nisha Karmakar, via email