Mea culpa not enough

While Ajit NS Thapa’s brutal candour in branding the leadership of both NC and NC (D) as being myopic, “Congress unification” (THT, August 28) must be commended, he should also have recalled that it wasunder the pre-split NC that the nation started to go downhill to end up in the present morass. Did not his own leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, distribute lakhs and lakhs of rupees from the PM’s Disaster Relief Fund — the money that should have been going to the Tarai flood victims now — as Dashain bonus to corrupt politicians of his cabinet before the royal takeover, even as he himself kicked up the Melamchi scandal? Thapa’s intellect should be exercised more on how to subject NC and other political parties to value-based, responsible and accountable politics in the country.

Bihari Krishna Shrestha, Green Block, Patan

Our choice

The Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal’s comment recently on freeing refugees arrested on charges of vandalism is ridiculous. But he hardly raised any voice for the refugees who were brutally beaten to death and rendered homeless in the refugee camps. While Rizal’s comment is an unabashed challenge to the government of Nepal for failing to

maintain law and order in the camps, it is also evident that the refugee leaders themselves have encouraged the violence. We wrongly believed that the leaders would bring an end to our refugee status. As a refugee, I urge the Nepal government and the international community to let individual refugees decide on the option of resettlement.

Rushib Rai, via e-mail

Renovate

Though we Nepalis profess to be nationalists, it doesn’t seem that we really are proud of our national heroes. The statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah is lying in a decrepit state in front of Singhadurbar. Though we stand against King Gyanendra, we cannot vent our fury against the great king who made us feel proud of being Nepalis. It is the duty of the government as well as the public to give due respect to our national heroes.

Saroj Bhurtel, via e-mail

Cooperate

This is in reference to the news report “MJF demands to be met after polls: PM” (THT, August 29). MJF has threatened to start a fresh movement from Sept. 6. MJF demands are reasonable and in interest of common Madheshis. However, as PM Girija Prasad Koirala said, it is time for political groups to think of the country and collective interest of all Nepalis rather than a particular group. MJF should cooperate with the government by withdrawing all its protest programmes until the constituent assembly polls are held.

After the CA polls, the remaining demands can be addressed.

Baidhyanath Upadhayay, Old Baneshwor

Unequal

Apropos of the news report “Bollywood’s ‘Bad Boy’ Salman Khan jailed” (THT, August 26), Khan has again hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. But of late prominent personalities have been at the receiving end, while the law has been oblivious to crimes perpetrated by professional poachers.

Law should treat everybody equally.

Tashi Lama, via e-mail