The statement that human lives come cheap in this part of the world (“Murphy’s law and karma”, June 20) hit the nail on the head. As the editorial points out, the old saying “Yatha praja, thatha Raja”, meaning that the people get the ruler they deserve, is so apt in our case. The block voting mentality of the electorate combined with the absence of informed debate has brought things to a sad pass. There is also the problem of middle class apathy towards politics. I remember the sudden rush of anger in the wake of the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The people who took to the streets were young middle class professionals. But when it came to voting, it was shocking that most of these people failed to reach the polling booths. India’s rulers know perfectly well that a thousand Bhopals will not stop them from coming back to power. Human memory is short but it is callously short in India.
Abhishek Puri, New Delhi
