Letters to the editor

The resolve to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya may not win many votes as people are fed up with communal politics. What they want is good governance, where their problems are attended to expeditiously and without corruption. The BJP has shown it8217;s a viable alternative to the SP and the BSP, the real contenders for power in UP. A resurgent Congress too could pose some problems to all the other major players in the murky politics of UP. Time has come to improve the lot of the masses in UP, where the record of development leaves much to be desired.

8212; D.B.N. Murthy, Bangalore

Economic terrorism

8226; UN sanctions in the past have had devastating effects like making Afghanistan and Iraq into quasi-medieval states. President Bush, the key mover of this new resolution against Iran, should realise that wars and sanctions are not actual solutions to turbulence in the Middle East.

Show of militarily power by itself is not a bad idea but destruction and sanctions should not be the objective of such policies. The UN under the new secretary-general must take firm steps to dismantle the awful UNSC and replace it with UN Peace Council where all disputes and unilateral actions should find resolutions by all possible means of diplomacy. Can8217;t the US realise that sanctions are economic terrorism and also the worst form of terrorism perpetrated against the weak nations by the strong.

8212; Abdul Ruff Colachal, New Delhi

Curb-side benefits

8226; THE United Nations Security Council8217;s imposition of sanctions on Iran for its nuclear programme should not become an occasion for our political parties to reap domestic benefits. Such a move would, of course, show up India to be an irresponsible aspirant for enhanced global status. After all, New Delhi has already voted against Iran8217;s nuclear programme at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

It would also communalise domestic politics, especially at a time when Uttar Pradesh is going to the polls, and the Sachar Committee8217;s report is being politicised. That8217;s the last thing we need. As national parties, the BJP and Congress should lead the way by being responsible and not stir emotions.

8212; Anita Singh, Mumbai

Agricultural push

8226; THE present government pays only lip service to agriculture, with hardly any effective measures taken to actually promote this sector. We must look at food security to make ourselves completely self-reliant as far as food stocks are concerned. We can learn from the US and EU where agriculture is a heavily subsidised sector. Both countries aggressively fight for the rights of their farmers. They have held up any number of global trade talks on this issue. India needs to replicate the same attitude domestically.

One of the most effective policies the government can take is on farm credit. Agriculture credit should be streamlined through agencies like NABARD, cooperative banks and also public sector banks, so that the farmer does not have to depend on the money-lender. It is this dependence that pushes farmers into a debt trap and is responsible for the spate of suicides in our agricultural heartland.

8212; S. Kamat, Alto Betim Goa