The Hindu : Rao's acquittal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 26, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Rao's acquittal

Sir, — I refer to your editorial, "Moment of triumph" ( Dec. 24 ) on P.V. Narasimha Rao's acquittal in the Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case. Heading a minority Congress Government, this `silent' politician, ably assisted by Manmohan Singh, ushered in economic reforms. He bore all the cases against him with great fortitude.

K.D. Viswanaathan,

Coimbatore, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — Mr. Rao's supporters may claim that justice has been done as he has been cleared in all the three cases — St. Kitts forgery, JMM bribery case and now the Lakhubhai Pathak case. In independent India, we are yet to hear of a former or sitting Minister being convicted for corruption.

R. Venkatesan Iyengar,

Gulbarga, Karnataka

* * *

Sir, — At last, Mr. Rao has been acquitted because of lack of reliable evidence. It is most unfortunate that courts have taken so many years to check the authenticity of evidence. Considering that no top politician has ever been convicted of corruption, the Telgi scam, with the wide involvement of top officials, will pose a great challenge to the prosecution and the judiciary.

Meravanigi Gururaj,

Bangalore

* * *

Sir, — The verdict made Mr. Rao smile which he did not do even when he was holding the high office of Prime Minister. That the Congressmen did not show him any support is disheartening. In fact, the Congress badly needs a veteran like Mr. Rao.

A. Thirumalai Prakash,

Madurai, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — Mr. Rao had to perform tight rope walking with a wafer-thin majority in the Lok Sabha. The country had gone to the extent of pledging its gold reserves. Mr. Rao managed the crucial period and avoided an economic disaster. It is unfortunate that Mr. Rao's contributions have not received due recognition or appreciation.

M. Nagarajan,

Chennai

* * *

Sir, — When I was travelling in Punjab during the 1960s, I asked a taxi driver about the corruption charges against Pratap Singh Kairon. "So what" he angrily shot back, "why don't you talk about the prosperity he has brought to this State?" This, perhaps, sums up our attitude towards corruption.

S. Rajagopalan,

Chennai

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