Opinion Litmus test
Trouble will arise in either case and may lead to a political and administrative breakdown in Andhra Pradesh.
Litmus test
Apropos your editorial Decide and rule (IE,December 30),it will be interesting to see how the Congress,already the focus of criticism,handles the Telangana issue and reacts to the Srikrishna Committee report. Both options creating a new state and not doing so seem unfavourable for the Congress. Trouble will arise in either case and may lead to a political and administrative breakdown in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from the government,it is the duty of the people to react sensibly and not make the matter a prestige issue.
Virendra K. Singh
New Delhi
Let there be light
Its no small tragedy that the Congress hasnt yet decided to open Indias archives to scholars and historians to present an objective account of events the nation has witnessed since Independence. In the editorial Authorised version (IE,December 29),you have questioned this needless opacity that tells us the GOP hasnt yet emerged into the sunshine of modernity. The editorial rightly pointed out that the projection of an authorised version of Congress history as a reasonable history of modern India is an indication of its central conceit. A history of modern India,and the Indian National Congress,written not by a few selected,friendly historians but by the countless unauthorised objective historians,and under a regime of archival openness,would have helped the party know itself better.
M. Ratan
New Delhi
Side by side
The PAC vs JPC tension is bound to cast its shadow on the budget session. While Murli Manohar Joshi,as PAC chairperson,could be rubbing in his seniority in the BJP by proceeding with the PAC,it reflects badly on the BJP as it tries to wean away its senior leader from a parliamentary responsibility. A serious rethink is needed. While the PAC goes ahead on the CAG report,the JPC can fruitfully examine where policy upgrades on licensing and ministerial discretion need to be brought in line with the demands of a 21st century economy. This is relevant as increasing globalisation would put a premium on time by way of effective and speedy decision-making. Policy-making bodies would then necessarily need greater autonomy. In the absence of such brainstorming in a JPC,oversight committees such as the PAC would tend to err on the side of caution and put policy-making in a straitjacket. It would be prudent for both committees to function,complementing one another.
R. Narayanan
Ghaziabad
State of the arts
This refers to The art of arrival (IE,December 30). Of course,in the past few years,Indian art has got a global identity. Gradually,art is becoming a craze among youngsters in small towns also. Advertisements and art promotion by the government also encourage them. But,it is necessary to retain the real art of the soil.
Nikhil Jha
Madhubani
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