Inexcusable conduct:

Concerning the news report “How come, why, tell us, MP urges Koirala” (THT, April 25), Maoist lawmaker Janardan Sharma has rightly criticised the prime minister regarding the conduct of the Nepal Army during King Gyanendra’s recent visit to Dakshinkali on Loktantra Diwas. While PM Koirala was taking the guard of honour from the Nepal Army at Tundikhel, the NA was simultaneously offering a gun salute to the King. As if that was not enough, the now-scrapped national anthem was played and the King, reminiscent of his last days in power, was even “listening to the grievances” of the locals. This incident seriously undermines Koirala’s legitimacy as the head of state and put a question mark over the truth of his claim that NA is now fully under civilian control. Strong action should be taken against the NA top brass for their inexcusable conduct. How Prime Minister Koirala and the NA handle the fallout of these anti-Jana Andolan incidents will show their true colours.

Suresh Ale, Samakushi

Superstitious:

The King gives the impression of being a religious person. But I do not agree with the view that animal sacrifice, as the King made at Dakshinkali, will please Goddess Durga, because the Hindu ethos does not allow animal sacrifice. The practice of animal sacrifice is only a distortion of our religious heritage. It is hard to believe that even in the 21st century people hold such superstitious beliefs and sacrifice innocent animals in the hope of fulfilling their wishes, including coming back to power.

Saurav Sharma, via e-mail

Unjust:

It is disheartening that none of the parliamentarians, government representatives, human ights activists or foreign “friends” has protested against the confiscation of the King’s land in Bhaktapur by Maoist cadres. In a democracy, injustice to one is injustice to all.

Gayatri Pradhan, Naxal

Right move:

The judicial commission on the Tarai violence is to be headed by a judge of Tarai origin. The government is finally realising the importance of representation of Madhesi people in the bodies formed to look into their affairs. To give legitimacy to any policies and programmes, the people to be affected should be included in their implementation.

Ramesh Chhetri, Bagbazzar

A lesson:

It is said that cricket is a gentlemen’s game. But is the game so gentlemanly these days? The death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer remains a mystery. It is reported that he probably knew something about cricket match-fixing. And look at what happened to the members of the Indian cricket team after their unceremonious exit from the World Cup. Destroying the homes of cricket players just because they lost the matches would not improve the quality of the team of any country. Nonetheless, the splendid performance of Bangladesh should be a matter of pride to all cricket lovers in South Asia. Emerging cricketing countries like Nepal can also expect better days if they take the game more seriously. Nepal could be another Bangladesh in the next World Cup in 2011.

Dwaipayan Regmi, Biratnagar