Date:16/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/16/stories/2006031601601000.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unacceptable

The recommendation of the Kishore Chandra Deo Committee, which went into the sting operation that uncovered corruption in the implementation of the MPLADS, that the four MPs involved be suspended up to March 22 is unacceptable. The MPs should have been asked to resign and seek the people's mandate again because it is the people who are sovereign in a democracy.

The committee has suggested that the Government lay down specific guidelines and norms for sting operations. The suggestion is amusing given that both the UPA and the NDA are for transparency and the right to information.

Rocky Ukken,
Thiruvananthapuram

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If the 11 MPs caught on camera in the cash-for-queries scam could be expelled, why not the four caught in Operation Chakravyuh? Every time a scam surfaces, democracy becomes weaker. And such recommendations do not particularly help in removing the blotches; they only make them look darker.

Anshul Dhamija,
Bangalore

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MPs are expected to set an example to the people. The four MPs should have been dismissed or asked to resign to uphold the principles of parliamentary democracy.

Air Commodore (retd.) V.V. Nair,
Alappuzha, Kerala

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The committee has accused the media of "indulging in a race to achieve viewership through sensationalism on a competitive basis" and called for regulations on sting operations. One fails to understand why they should be regulated. If parliamentarians are honest and aboveboard, why would anyone even attempt a sting operation? The media only bring the facts before the people.

V.S. Venkatavaradan,
Salem, T.N.