Check mate
* This refers to Playing court (IE,April 19). Nations that profess to practise democracy need to keep constant vigil on the sanctity of constitutional institutions. In Pakistan,the credibility of these institutions have eroded over time. The unfortunate consequences of this are evident. But we in India have also muddied our institutions,whether its the CAG,the CBI or even the sacrosanct concept of separation of powers. If democratic traditions are to endure beyond transient politics and its dramatis personae,everyone must be circumspect at all times. The judiciary cannot be an exception.
R. Narayanan
Ghaziabad
* PERVEZ MUSHARRAF,former military dictator,must be a dejected person today. Returning to Paksitan after four years of self-imposed exile,he got a lukewarm reception. His lack of popularity has made him even more vulnerable to legal attack. A judiciary still hurt by his high-handed behaviour towards it in 2007 has now shown him his place. The Pakistan military seems to have distanced itself from him,along with the Tehrik-e-Taliban. Musharraf is in a soup of his own making and all his escape routes seem cut off.
R.J. Khurana
Growing pains
* THIS refers to the editorial Austerity tripped (IE,April 19). The excel error in the analysis of Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff could have contributed to an error in the threshold point of public debt. But the underlying logic that excess government spending only results in a fall in output in the long term is undisputed. Government spending is a palliative at best. The private sector must be encouraged to pick up the tab while it lasts. Or else,once the stimulus measures are phased out,the economy starts to wobble again. Stimulus measures and protectionism are a legacy of the 1930s. Countries back then had no prior experience to go by. Today,the US,Europe and India are using stimulus measures to prop up sagging economies,while trying to cut down on protectionism. Yet growth has not picked up significantly and might not for some time to come. But growth propped up by stimulus cannot be a measure of economic renewal.
Raghu Seshadri
Secular mantra
* APROPOS Pratap Bhanu Mehtas article Our secularisms (IE,April 18),secularism in India and in the West differs in concept and reality. In India,the word is used by politicians to suit their own ends. Before the 42nd amendment to the Constitution,made in 1976,secularism was largely a matter for the courts. But over the years,both the Congress and the BJP have appropriated the idea for votebank politics. Political parties flaunt secularism and try to feign sympathy for marginalised communities.
Sarfraz Alam
Aligarh
