Opinion Letter to the editor

• George W. Bush left the White House as one of the least popular US presidents ever; yet the question remains: Would someone else in his position have acted differently given the administrative mechanisms prevailing? The recession cannot be attributed to him,and a team of experts rather than Bush alone were responsible for foreign policy blunders. Ultimately,the leader is as good as his team and public opinion should take this into account when judging him.

Behind the hype

• This refers to ‘Report by own govt punctures Modi’s Gujarat hype’. It should be asserted that Narendra Modi has transformed Gujarat. Previously,Gujarat was deficient in power and water; today it boasts self-sufficiency on at least two crucial counts: infrastructure and investment. Modi’s role should not be downplayed in Gujarat’s economic success.

— Krishan Kalra

Gurgaon

Give Modi his due

• The fact that Narendra Modi has brought prosperity to Gujarat is unquestionable. Despite the recent revelations,Modi’s able leadership needs to be acknowledged. He has turned Gujarat’s fortunes around and provided good governance. There is no impropriety in projecting him as the PM.

— N.V. Unnithan

Mumbai

Right move

• Barack Obama’s quick action on Guantanamo is a step in the right direction and a move towards undoing the errors of Bush. Obama has kept to his pledge on Guantanamo and this should put to rest all speculative doubts that have been raised by cynics. Apparently Obama means business and is likely to pursue and carry out his agenda.

— Shahabuddin Nadeem

Bangalore

Sole saviour

• This refers to ‘Pak gave ‘blank cheque’ to China for talks with India’. Unable to prove its fight against terrorism,Pakistani Foreign Minister S.M. Qureshi has conveniently declared China as the sole saviour of Pakistan and permitted it to deal with India. This ultimately indicates Pakistani incompetence.

— Deepak Chikramane

Mumbai

New administration

• The policy mistakes and failures of the Bush administration are likely to flow over into the Obama administration. Obama has an unenviable task of tackling the tough challenges ahead. The two hotspots,which Obama will struggle over,are Pakistan and West Asia. It will be interesting to see how Obama breaks with the Bush era.

— Dilbag Rai

Chandigarh

Too many heads

• This refers to Jaithirth Rao’s ‘Talking it over’. Pakistan is characterised by a multitude of diversities. Often,different wings of government have had conflicting interests and as a result no pan-Pakistani strategy could be devised. Ultimately,the multiple power centres running Pakistan keep the country stuck where it is.

— Pranav Mahajan

Jammu