Letters To The Editor

In a righteous bind8226; YES, 8220;these are moments that come rarely to prime ministers8221;. And truly, by 8216;Being prime ministeria...

In a righteous bind

8226; YES, 8220;these are moments that come rarely to prime ministers8221;. And truly, by 8216;Being prime ministerial8217; IE, August 19, Manmohan Singh has outsmarted his opponents in the Rajya Sabha over the nuclear deal with his reply in Parliament. He has reiterated that his government will act only on the basis of India8217;s national interest and will not allow any other country to decide its foreign policy. Now, as you have observed, is the time for the prime minister to actualise his announcements on the economic and administrative fronts too. People also hope after this that all the political parties realise that their function is not to block governance but to help effective governance through responsible criticism and debate.

8212;B.K. Chatterjee, Faridabad

India on the march

8226; In a democracy we elect a party or a coalition of parties to form the government. Then a prime minister, chosen by consensus and assisted by a council of ministers, takes charge of governance. On the nuclear deal, Dr Manmohan Singh stated that he had understood the 8216;sense of Parliament8217; and now it is he, and he alone, who will see that the country marches into the 21st century with its head held high. This could well be India8217;s century, provided the government of the day satisfies our people8217;s hunger for power and economic development.

8212; Mukund B. Kunte, London

A bunch of words

8226; D. RAJA, in his article, 8216;Kill bill, Congress style8217; IE, August 19, says that the UPA government succumbed to the pressure from what he derisively terms 8220;a bunch of urban elite middle class medical students8221;. Most students in the open category, like myself, come from middle class families and would find the tone adopted by a senior CPI functionary unbecoming. I would also like to point out another important aspect about the 8216;creamy layer8217;. Very few people know that the reservations that the Centre is planning to implement already exist in Maharashtra. The students of reserved categories obtain fake 8216;non-creamy layer8217; certificates and get into prestigious institutions, whereas students from the open category, in spite of better scores 8212; sometimes up to 25 per cent more 8212; do not get admission.

8212;Amish R. Shah, Mumbai

Genie out of bottle

8226; The current controversy about the pesticide content in Pepsi and Coca-Cola seems to be misdirected. The core issue here is not the fact that an unacceptable quantity of toxins were found in the drinks, but what they reflect on the state of our water resources and organic food materials that constitute our daily sustenance. By merely focusing on whether carbonated drinks should be banned, an important opportunity to deliberate on this issue is lost. It is imperative that we take stock of our agriculture policy on pesticides and bring in stringent environmental protection laws which will ultimately lead to a holistic solution. A proper assessment of the situation will help in identifying practical measures for a comprehensive long-term policy of preserving the environment.

8212;Hemant Morajkar, Mumbai