Congress should keep the JD(S) at bay

Sir,

The news item Dal, Cong in secular embrace (DH, Oct 18) makes funny reading. The reports says JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda is planning to go to New Delhi. It is obvious that both the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) are afraid of facing elections in the immediate future.

Contrary to the statements emanating from Congress leaders that the party does not want to have any truck with the JD(S), something seems to be cooking up covertly to deny the BJP a chance to occupy the mantle. 

Will the leaders of the two parties day in and day out who traded statements accusing each other of lapses and shortcomings, eat their own words after patching up? For the Congress, it is prudent to keep the JD (S) at bay in forming the government in its own larger interest rather than to derive transient benefit by machinations. The party may lose its credibility and it may also lead to erosion of it’s vote share.

H P Murali
Bangalore

Gowda’s gimmicks

Sir,

H D Deve Gowda is trying to fool everybody all the time. Gowda and his obedient son, who are outwardly putting up a show that their party does not want to align with either the BJP or the Congress, at any cost and want to go to the public for a clear mandate, are now forced  to knock the doors of Sonia Gandhi who was expecting such a move for quite a while. Gowda knows that the local Congress leaders have no say in the matter once Sonia okays the deal.

B N Vittal Rao
Mysore

Nuke Iran

Sir,

Apropos the report Keep off Iran: Putin (DH, Oct 17), the apprehension that Iran is on the way to making nuclear weapons with its hitherto clandestine programme is cause for concern.

And President Mahmood Ahmedinejad’s jingoistic statement that “Iran will transfer nuclear know-how to other Islamic countries” lends credence to the suspicion that its nuclear weapons ambition is militaristic.

If Iran’s reason for going nuclear is really its energy needs Tehran should have complied  with the IAEA regulations. And it should have enriched uranium on Russian soil since Moscow had offered it, instead of feeding uranium gas into centrifuges on its own.

A Seshagiri Rao
Bangalore

Future series

Sir,

It was a brilliant nick from Murali Kartik, a brilliant catch by Gilchrist, a brilliant appeal by Ponting and a brilliant decision which possibly sealed the fate of the Aussies in the last match of the Future cup series at Mumbai.

Ponting later commented at the award ceremony that he wished the batsman had just walked off like he should have.  In the final analysis, the Aussies were beaten at their own game, not by the Indians, but by the umpire.

Tom Oommen
Mangalore

Young blood

Sir,

The Indian victory in the final ODI of the Future cup series belonged to the youngsters in our team. The bowlers had also to bat to see India through, while the senior and adored batsmen were sitting in the pavilion biting their nails. Shame that our three seniors still hang on, making it difficult and embarrassing the selectors, by not announcing their retirement. Don’t wait for people to boycott you.

Jayasimha R
Bangalore

Intelligence plea

Sir,

I refer to the report Intelligence plea for free hand (DH, Oct 17). We have diluted and in some cases abrogated our anti-terror laws. World wide even the most liberal of democracies are tightening their terror laws. If we do not give a free hand to our intelligence agencies how can we expect to combat terrorism? There is an urgent need to empower our intelligence agencies to be proactive.

H N Ramakrishna
Bangalore

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