Opinion Infertile ground

Efforts to encourage diversification are undone by artificially high minimum support prices for rice and wheat.

The Indian Express

August 17, 2013 12:51 AM IST First published on: Aug 17, 2013 at 12:51 AM IST

* Thomas L. Friedman makes an imaginative comparison between two very diverse instances of monoculture and draws interesting inferences (Monocultures of the east and west,IE,August 12). Closer home,we have a similar example Punjabs fertile land has been corrupted by an endless cultivation cycle of paddy and wheat. Experts have been crying themselves hoarse about this dangerous trend and have tried to encourage soil replenishment through the cultivation of more diverse crops cereals,soybean,vegetables etc but to no avail. The soil quality in Punjab has been ruined. Efforts to encourage diversification are undone by artificially high minimum support prices for rice and wheat.

Shailesh Rai

Jaipur

Many a slip

* This refers to Modi hoists his own flag (IE,August 16).It is painful to see the BJPs poster boy,Narendra Modi,use the ceremonious and solemn Independence Day function as a political rally. He might have forgotten that the Gujarat governments I-Day function is sponsored by the state. It is an occasion on which people from other political parties are also formally invited to participate. It is not a BJP event. The manner in which Modi compared himself to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was attention seeking. His rhetoric and polemics may eventually prove to be self defeating. Many people are at pains to understand why he is in such desperate haste. He is not PM yet. For that matter,he is not even the BJPs PM candidate yet. Theres many a slip between the cup and the lip.

B.K. Chatterjee

Faridabad

* The way Narendra Modi reacted to Manmohan Singhs speech on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day surpassed all decency and decorum. He seems to have donned the mantle as the BJPs prime ministerial candidate. I am glad that senior BJP leader L.K. Advani criticised the way in which Modi acted. In spite of his scathing criticism of the PM,it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP is supporting the Congresss food bill as well as all their attempts to insulate the political class from the recent Supreme Court judgments,the Chief Information Commissioners order and the Election Commissions attempt to regulate manifestos.

S.K. Khosla

Chandigarh

National tragedy

* It was heartbreaking to hear about dead bodies being pulled out of the INS Sindhurakshak. It is cruelly ironic that this submarine,which was meant to protect the citizens of India,was ultimately responsible for the death of its own crew. Remarks about the submarine being sabotaged are disconcerting,and the truth must be revealed as soon as the navys fact-finding mission is complete. It seems to

be the season for bad news in our country the LoC violations,a falling rupee,disruptions in Parliament. Most citizens have

become passive observers and have learnt to expect the worst.

S. S. Ranshevre

Pune