Brute force

The Indian Express should be thanked for publishing a translated version of Kumar Ketkar’s editorial in Loksatta...

•The Indian Express should be thanked for publishing a translated version of Kumar Ketkar’s editorial in Loksatta (‘All the problems have been solved. Now let’s build a statue’,. Unfortunately, many in Maharashtra have a zero tolerance towards sarcasm. And Ketkar, of course, made his point through sarcasm. His detractors, being intolerant, could only resort to the heinous attack on his house. A civilised response would have been to publish a sarcastic riposte to Ketkar’s piece, attacking what they perceive as his inexplicable silence on other issues.

— Kedarnath R. Aiyar

Mumbai

A taller idea

•A LOT of ruckus has been caused on the issue of a proposed Shivaji statue in Mumbai. Many have objected to it, primarily because the state’s finances are bad. One wonders why those who have decided to go ahead with the project have not thought of erecting a statue of “Mother India” instead. It would have a wider impact on the people of India and foreign tourists, and would be a proud testimony to the fact that Indians, irrespective of their domicile, caste or creed, stand together in the process of nation building. Since a comparison of the proposed project is being made to the Statue of Liberty, “Mother India” would be apt.

— V.P. Damodar

Pune

Power the plants

•In your editorial, ‘Oil India pattern’ you have rightly pointed out that “in political terms, the Congress-led UPA deserves some credit” for the hike in the prices of petroleum product, even when the general election is approaching and oil price hikes mean electoral trouble. If the UPA could raise fuel prices when the country is in the grip of inflation, why doesn’t the government now sign the nuclear deal with the US? That will take care of our long-term energy needs. I’m sure the country will always remember the UPA government’s bold decision.

— Bidyut K. Chatterjee

Faridabad

BJP slips on oil

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• THE editorial ‘Logical terrorism’ and Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s ‘India’s oil moment’, sent out a warning to the leader of the opposition, L.K. Advani. Since Advani has an eye to leading the next Union government, he and his party must react maturely to the unpopular but necessary hike in oil prices.

Political logic may compel the opposition to criticise the government; but the BJP cannot forget the fact that, just like the government, the opposition is equally accountable to the public. Besides, economic logic, in this case, is altogether absent from Advani’s party stand. Disregarding an economic reality invariably boomerangs on the entire politico-economic system. The price hike is itself inadequate but it may just have saved India from economic collapse and social anarchy later.

— Parimal Y. Mehta

Mumbai