Letters To The Editor

Market faith• THIS refers to Ila Patnaik’s ‘Taxes by the litre’ (IE, June 13). Pricing petrol is always a political dram...

Market faith

• THIS refers to Ila Patnaik’s ‘Taxes by the litre’ (IE, June 13). Pricing petrol is always a political drama in this country. I think it will not be possible for the government to move to the market-determined price. At least not in its current term. Secondly the government will also not allow anyone to open petrol pumps as Patnaik suggests, because the Left will not let that happen. It is also necessary to help the oil companies out of the losses due to discriminatory pricing. I would suggest the government should fix a price band for oil products after rationalising the taxes as recommended by the Rangarajan Committee. Oil companies be allowed to adjust prices according to crude prices and government should step in only when the price crosses the upper limit. They should not be forced to share the subsidy burden.

— Rajesh Kumar, New Delhi

• ILA PATNAIK’S ‘Taxes by the litre’ is good analysis. She has exposed the hollowness of the logic behind stiff hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. Her suggestion to open up the

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Indian market for petroleum products to global competition is also sound. The only point economists often miss is that politicians in power miss no opportunity to ‘steal’ money from the people. We are perhaps doomed to pay for their vote-catching programmes and luxurious lifestyle.

— Devendra Narain, New Delhi

No burning issue

• THIS refers to the report ‘Gujarat cinema withdraws Fanaa’ (IE, June 13). Do I feel sorry for Pravin Joshi who tried to immolate himself? I would advise him to risk his life for his country by fighting the terrorists on the border instead of risking his life over a non-issue. At least we would be proud of him. But by trying to burning himself he neither has our sympathy nor has he done anything for the Narmada dam cause. I fail to understand how today’s educated youth can get incited by politicians like this?

— Amjad K. Maruf, Mumbai

Terror triumphs

• THE killing of Zarqawi in Iraq by the US forces is being celebrated with unwarranted zeal. From the lowliest PRO of the US Army to President Bush, everyone has made a statement on this killing. This has transformed Zarqawi into a cult figure among Iraqis and those from his terrorist breed. This one of the unintended ways in which the West is

fostering terrorism.

In the emotionally charged world of terrorists, the Western interventions of highlighting their actions to counteract terror and the resultant deaths are only adding fuel to the fire. Zarqawi’s killing should have been mentioned in military dispatches and the matter should have been left at that. This serves no other purpose than perhaps insinuate the next in line in Al-Qaida into planning more high-profile attacks. Al-Qaida is a hydra-headed monster. You cut off one head, and another will emerge in the jihadi theatre to replace a Zarqawi or a Bin Laden.

— S. Kamat Panaji

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• THOUGH Zarkawi’s death is a positive step in the fight against terrorism, this can hardly be the ‘Beginning of end for Al-Qaida?’ (IE, June 10). Dubbed as the prince of Al-Qaida in Iraq, Zarkawi still remains a small fish in the big pond of terrorism. An octopus like Al-Qaida hardly will be bothered by Zarkawi’s absence. The fact that America may boast of a success only five years after declaring “war on terrorism” goes to show the cancerous spread of Al-Qaida.

— Abhishek Law, Kolkata