Manmohan Singh cut a sorry figure
Sir, Never before has an Indian Prime Minister cut such a sorry figure like Manmohan Singh, as he admitted that he was unable to prevent a bunch of anarchists from holding his government to ransom.
Mr Singh is to be squarely blamed for the fiasco over the nuclear deal as he personally supervised the negotiations and clinched the deal with the help of a few bureaucrats. But, he failed to take his allies and the Opposition parties into confidence on such a vital issue of national importance.
His inept handling of the issue coupled with some provocative remarks on opponents of the deal by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi has ensured the failure of the “historic” agreement. After this loss of face Mr Singh has forfeited his moral right to be at the helm of affairs of the government. It is his good fortune that the Opposition parties are so hopelessly divided that they are not baying for his blood.
V RAJALAKSHMI
Mumbai
Power politics
Sir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who surrendered to the blackmailing tactics of the Left over the Indo-US nuclear deal, has reportedly called US President George W Bush to inform him that there would be no more talks with the IAEA to operationalise the deal. Power means more than anything else to Manmohan Singh and Sonia rather than principles. When elections are to be held, the Congress and the Left would learn the lesson of their lives.
A Srikantaiah
Bangalore
Nuclear retreat
Sir, Apropos your editorial Nuclear retreat (DH, Oct 15). It is indeed baffling how the much hyped nuclear deal is relegated to the back-ground inspite of Manmohan Singh’s gauntlet thrown at the Left and Sonia Gandhi chiding them as “enemies of progress and development”. But her hyperbole not withstanding, the Congress has made a U turn fearing elections. As you have rightly pointed the Congress leadership should not have exploded like a nuclear device and now imploded like cordite fearing its fellow-travellers!
A SESHAGIRI RAO
Chennai
Nagpur debacle
Sir, It was frustrating to watch the way our Indian cricket team conceded to the Australians in the 6th one-day international played at Nagpur, even after a solid foundation was laid by the openers. The performance of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh was disappointing. Dravid not only failed with the bat but also dropped a vital catch. Indeed his performance in the ongoing series has been listless and below par. Perhaps it is time for him to bid good bye to ODI matches.
J N Mahanty
Puri
Bomb blasts
Sir, Bomb blasts, a rare occurance a few years ago, have become daily news for Indians, thanks to the misadventure of some groups and callousness of the powers that be. The blasts at the Ajmer Dargah and a theatre in Ludhiana speak more of the penetration of violence into the veins of our social fabric. Though the government and the police cannot be expected to keep vigil on every gathering, it is high time some action is taken to curb the menace and safeguard the people.
Divakar N
Mysore
Folk arts
Sir, The Dasara festival celebrations in Mysore provide a platform for flourishing artistes, especially the folk artistes from various parts of the world. Protecting these art forms and enhancing them is the greatest challenge. In this era of globalisation it is the responsibility of everyone to project our existing rich potential to the world. Dying art forms are a symbol of fading creativity. We are indeed lucky to witness such an impressive show even to this day.
Divyashri Mudakavi
Bangalore
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