Opinion Behind Maoism

Politicians’ parochial interests and the tendency to pass the buck have added fuel to the fire. The political leadership ignored development of these backward areas and allowed the impoverished masses to suffer while funds meant for development were siphoned off by corrupt politicians and Naxalites. Now,when these lawless goons flex their muscle by even destroying the state organs such as security forces,political crocodile tears in the form of appeals and appeasement will have no effect.

— Ved Guliani

Hisar

Mamata,missing

Mamata Banerjee is doing a great disservice to the nation by focusing all her energy and time on West Bengal,keeping her eye on the 2011 assembly elections (‘Rail rant’,IE,May 20). Let alone infrastructure development for railways,she is not even attending cabinet meetings. She should understand that declaring an amount of compensation,every time,for families of victims of railway accidents — sitting in Kolkata — is not the only work a minister is supposed to do. She has failed the nation as a whole and should resign.

— Sourav Roy Barman

Tripura

Toll tales

This refers to ‘MPs,MLAs exempted from paying toll for road development’ (IE,May 20). How is it that we the taxpayers have to pay tolls and MPs and MLAs don’t? Did they not profess to want to serve the people when they stood for election? The EGOM are themselves MPs. In other words,MPs have exempted themselves and the MLAs. We,the people,pay taxes to fund the lavish life MPs and MLAs lead,and now the salt on the wound — paying tolls while they exempt themselves,even on their personal pleasure trips. Are they rulers and we the subjects?

— Ashok R. Tolat

Ahmadabad

Stark indicators

Bibek Debroy’s ‘Health,wealth,and wisdom’ (IE,May 18) was a cogent article. It’s shocking that when the whole world is talking about climate change and ways to protect the earth,we reflect a shameful picture of more than 650 million people defecating in the open. In a few months,we’ll beckon the world to the Commonwealth Games; can we afford to show such terrible figures to it? The government must take these indicators seriously; instead of hosting the CWG — involving huge amounts of money,human resource and infrastructure — they could have used that money to curb India’s sanitation problem.

— Pragati Ganguly

New Delhi

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