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This is an archive article published on July 26, 2013
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Opinion Silent treatment

This refers to ‘Note to UPA-bashers’ by Shashi Tharoor (IE,July 22)

The Indian Express

July 26, 2013 05:01 AM IST First published on: Jul 26, 2013 at 05:01 AM IST

Silent treatment

* This refers to ‘Note to UPA-bashers’ by Shashi Tharoor (IE,July 22). There is deep dissatisfaction among citizens because of the lack of communication from the UPA government. Despite several appeals,no engagement has been forthcoming from our prime minister. These silences disprove Tharoor’s statement that “constructive criticism is particularly welcome”. This government certainly does not feel accountable to any of us. It only feels accountable to certain someones,which is why the rest of us get the silent treatment. The diminution of our institutions that Pratap Bhanu Mehta articulates is something a lot of Indians agree is happening. A distinct lack of governance and accountability,and a tendency towards high handedness,plagues almost every institution. It’s never too late though. The fact that Tharoor has spoken up is a good sign.

— Naheed Carrimjee

Mumbai

Defending Sen

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* THE storm created by Amartya Sen’s remark that he does not want to see Narendra Modi as India’s next PM seems unnecessary. That he is a Bharat Ratna and a Nobel laureate is irrelevant; every Indian has the right to express their opinion,and so does Sen. His critics’ argument that he should have refrained from commenting on political matters,and should now be stripped of his Bharat Ratna,is ludicrous.

— Shakti Singh

Shimla

Still caged

* THE CBI has filed a closure report in the disproportionate assets case against Vincent George (‘Court rejects CBI closure report in Vincent George assets case’,IE,July 24) and is reportedly going to do the same in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s case. The fact that the court rejected the closure report in George’s case makes one suspicious that both these decisions are politically motivated. This feels like deja vu. Time and again,the UPA government has failed to allow the CBI to function independently.

— Parikshit Suryavanshi

Aurangabad

Numbers game

* THE Planning Commission’s report,which asserted the poverty rate declined three times faster during the first seven years of the UPA government compared to the preceding 11 years,is surprising (‘Poverty shrunk under UPA: Plan panel’,IE,July 24). A careful reading of the report shows that it is entirely born out of clever statistics. The report calculates poverty using the absurd Suresh Tendulkar formula,according to which anyone who has at least Rs 32 per day is not poor. In the words of Andrew Lang,it seems like the Planning Commission’s economists are “using statistics the way a drunken man uses lamp posts — for support,rather than illumination”.

— R.P. Subramanian

Delhi