Opinion Luddite logic
As Saubhik Chakrabarti points out in Mao TV,MoU TV. And Mahatma,in recent television appearances discussing Naxalite violence...
• As Saubhik Chakrabarti points out in Mao TV,MoU TV. And Mahatma,in recent television appearances discussing Naxalite violence,Arundhati Roy and several other activists have made certain claims about socio-economic issues that are factually incorrect. For example,Roy argues that since Independence the rich have got richer and the poor poorer. This is wrong. The poverty ratio fell from 54.9 per cent in 1973-74 to 26.1 per cent in 1999-2000. These figures are based on official estimates,but several independent researchers,in India and abroad,have confirmed that the poverty ratio has declined significantly in both rural and urban India. Roy might find it interesting that almost the entire decline in the poverty ratio happened in the years since 1980 when India followed relatively market-friendly economic policies.
Why then do Roy and her fellow activists keep making the claim that capitalism,economic growth and globalisation have impoverished the poor? Perhaps because if they admitted the evidence,it would be harder for them to continue advocating an economic philosophy and approach abandoned by China in 1978.
Sinchan Mitra
Brisbane
Remembering Bhabha
• The birth centenary of the father of Indias atomic energy programme,Homi Jehangir Bhabha fell on October 30. Bhabha was an outstanding scientist,innovator,social reformer,diplomat and organiser,who envisioned a bright future for India. His contribution to Indias success and development is widely acknowledged. Bhabha had a vision to make India a nuclear superpower almost 60 years ago.
S.K. Aggarwal
Amritsar
Fall from grace
• I have long been an admirer of Andre Agassi. But it is a matter of sorrow for all sports lovers that Agassi used crystal meth and got away by blaming his positive test on a spiked drink. He is one of the worlds richest tennis stars. Hence who would believe that prize money,apart from improving ATP rankings,was the reason behind his taking to drugs?
Bidyut K. Chatterjee
Faridabad
Middle East facts
• Thomas L. Friedmans assertion that the Camp David (1979) and Oslo (1993) Accords were the results of new initiatives between the warring parties bereft of any US involvement is not borne out by facts. There would be no Camp David without Jimmy Carter. The US also loomed large during Oslo since the US and Russia are also signatories to the Oslo Accords. Disintegration of the Soviet Union and cutting off of financial support from the Arab world for the PLOs support to Iraq during the first Gulf war definitely motivated Arafat to come to the negotiating table but it would be naive to assume that Americans were not on board.
Ajay Tyagi
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