All things American

Amid the escalating hue and cry, the Left has finally attempted to pull the rug from under the Indo-US nuclear deal and has announced the withdrawal of its support to the UPA.

8226; Amid the escalating hue and cry, the Left has finally attempted to pull the rug from under the Indo-US nuclear deal and has announced the withdrawal of its support to the UPA. Various critics believe that the signing of the deal will give the US undue influence over Indian foreign policy. But enhancing nuclear power availability would help the economy grow, reduce poverty and build India as a power. One wonders why there is so much contempt for the deal when every aspect of our life is Americanised in some way or the other. The truth is that the Left is venting its anti-American sentiments and would prefer to have every such deal done with its mentor nation 8212; China.

8212; Gulam Jeelani

Aligarh

Real victors

8226; After a two-year conflict between the UPA and its Left partners, the final showdown has come. It is surprising that the mild-mannered prime minister, who was otherwise praised for his humility in handling the UPA8217;s allies and supporters, seems to have suddenly found the courage to stand by his beliefs and decisions 8212; even at the cost of throwing the nation into political instability. Only time will tell whether this gamble will pay off for the Congress; but such a prospect is doubtful. The real gainer from the UPA-Left divorce will be the BJP, which was praying and waiting for this windfall.

8212; Shahabuddin Nadeem

Mangalore

Principled alliance

8226; The Left8217;s withdrawal of support to the UPA was only a matter of time once the civilian nuclear deal had become the bone of contention between the two. The UPA8217;s performance over the past four years demonstrated that there was always the primacy of ideological, party and regional interests over the national interest. The formation of unprincipled political alliances, the result of lust for power, should be put an end to. It is time to bring the following changes in our electoral system: first, only pre-electoral alliances should be recognised in forming a government.

Second, parties that take mutually exclusive stands on economic and foreign policy should not form alliances. And lastly, designing important policies such as those for education, science, technology and defence should be a collective endeavour, incorporating the help of experts.

8212; Amit Pradhan

Baroda

Advance warning

8226; Too much cricket has fatigued M.S. Dhoni. He has been permitted to opt out of the upcoming Sri Lanka Test series, and Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Kartick will substitute for him. For the cricket fan, it hardly matters if she is watching Swapnil Asnodkar or Sachin Tendulkar, as long as she gets her thrill. Beware of the day when the cricket fan gets fatigued by cricket in excess, or she doesn8217;t get her money or time8217;s worth anymore. Dhoni may be dispensable for Indian cricket, but not for the faceless fan.

8212; Anil P. Bagarka

Mumbai