Letters to the editor

— G.S. Kulkarni, Delhi

Whistle blown

• RAILWAY Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has done it again by declaring record Rs 20 K crore profit for the Indian Railways. This is a miracle. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram should resign and give his seat to the rail mantri!

— Sudhir K. Bhave, Mumbai

A life of letters

• IN the passing away of Sham Lal we have lost the Bhisma Pitamaha of Indian journalism. He was an unusual type of scholar, whose academic career was brilliant and who laid the foundations not only of ripe and meticulous scholarship but of precise and persuasive use of English. His distinguished editorship of The Times of India for 11 years bore the great impress of a remarkable and cultured mind — quick in perception, broad in vision, fresh in approach. I do recall happily several encounters with him in Mumbai’s Strand Book Stall — where the Three Musketeers of Indian Journalism, Sham Lal, R.K. Laxman and Inder Malhotra, used to spend time discussing and selecting gems from that Mecca of good books.

— P.P. Ramachandran, Mumbai

Bush and Mush

• THE editorial, ‘Bush, Mush and us’ (IE, February 27) speaks volumes about the role of the al-Qaeda and Taliban in aiding and abetting terror. It also highlights the significance of the need- -based relationship between Pakistan and the US in fighting terror. But it is ironical that the US, which has spent $ 27.5 billion since 9/11 in getting Musharraf’s cooperation in this ‘war on terror’ is merely threatening to cut its aid, as Musharraf has failed to perform on this count, instead of taking any concrete action for his dubious role as perpetrator of terrorism the world over, a fact admitted from time to time by the US, the UK and other key allies.

— S.K. Gupta Delhi

Q question for PM

• WHILE retracing the Bofors scam and Quattrocchi’s role in it, Jaitley has pertinently posed a vital question to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a man reputed for integrity and moral values. Observing that “history has provided the Prime Minister an opportunity”, Jaitley asked whether at this “defining moment” he would “stick to his office and sacrifice morality” or whether he would “risk his office and uphold both values and the law”. Thus, Jaitley has echoed the feelings of the majority of Indians who are waiting (and will wait) for an answer.

— M. Ratan, New Delhi