Opinion Mamata (black)mail
The stand-off between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the prime minister on the subject of changing the railway minister,Dinesh Trivedi,is of great concern
Mamata (black)mail
* The stand-off between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the prime minister on the subject of changing the railway minister,Dinesh Trivedi,is of great concern. Banerjees demand for the fare hike rollback is embarrassing for the government as a budget,after its presentation,is Parliaments property and cannot be altered without its approval. In this connection,the editorial Say no to the bully (IE,March 16) was apt. The PM should show courage and Banerjee the way out of UPA,if she doesnt agree to its policy issues in the days ahead. Theres a limit to patience,and this blackmail shouldnt continue uncontrolled.
P.R.A. Nair New Delhi
Pack off TMC
* I couldnt agree more with your editorial Say no to the bully (IE,March 16),calling the prime minister to say no to Mamata Banerjee. She has belied the general belief that power brings responsibility. She cannot eat the cake and have it too by continuing in the UPA and irresponsibly opposing every policy initiative. Manmohan Singh must put his foot down. Ministries shouldnt become the fiefdom of a particular ally. To begin with,the railway ministry should go to another ally,or to the Congress itself,if Banerjee insists on Dinesh Trivedis head.
M.C. Joshi Lucknow
Words & images
* Uttar Pradesh shows which way the country will go (For all his clean refrain,Akhilesh cannot say No to Raja Bhaiyya,IE,March 16). So it was but natural for youth everywhere to see what lessons there were in UPs generational shift. If there was one promise that defined Akhilesh Yadavs politics,it was keeping criminals out of the administration. Another was bringing new,young thinking to a party mired in the past for long. Akhilesh has ridden to power on big promises,but the problem with big promises is that they are difficult to keep. Within hours of winning the polls,SP activists indulged in hooliganism. Akhileshs own oath-taking ceremony was marred by unruly scenes. He must understand that politics in these media-savvy times is also a game of perceptions and images. Twenty speeches on national TV can be wiped out by one image of a don-politico,Raja Bhaiyya,taking oath and shaking hands with the young leader.
Bhupesh Gupta Chandigarh
Ominous start
* Its a sad irony that the SPs new and young CM,despite his earlier,widely acclaimed uncompromising attitude vis-a-vis UPs dons like D.P. Yadav,seemed to have succumbed to pressures from party elders to include a history-sheeter,facing charges of abduction,attempt to murder and dacoity in his cabinet. Although its too early to pass a definitive verdict on the young leaders prospective performance,the initial signs appear ominous.
M. Ratan New Delhi
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