Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The new team

Sir, — The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, should have included some young faces in his Ministry such as Sachin Pilot, Navin Jindal and Jyotiraditya Scindia as either Ministers of State or Deputy Ministers to be trained in governance to replace the old guard in due course.

Andhra Pradesh has been given a raw deal with lesser representation in the Cabinet than Tamil Nadu despite the State Congress' role in not only sending more MPs but also in bringing the party back to power in the State Assembly.

G.M. Rama Rao,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

Sir, — Dr. Singh and senior leaders of the United Progressive Alliance need to be complimented for making the best of a very difficult balancing act. But placing the stewardship of a crucial infrastructure Ministry such as Railways in the hands of Laloo Prasad Yadav is evidence of the compulsions of coalition politics.

K. Balakesari,

Chennai

Sir, — It is no doubt the Prime Minister's prerogative to decide on distribution of portfolios. But Mr. Yadav, with so many cases pending against him, need not have been given Cabinet rank. What is worse is the DMK Ministers' decision of not assuming charge over differences in portfolio allocation.

V.R. Rajamani,
Chennai

Sir, — The politicians' common appeal to people at the time of elections is that they want power so they can serve the people. If so, why do they bargain hard for a particular Ministry or show reluctance if some so-called `insignificant' Ministries are offered?

The Prime Minister should be firm in his decision and dispense with the procedure of consulting parties before allocating portfolios. Only experience and efficiency should be the considerations in choosing the right person for the right job. Dr. Singh himself has set the right precedent by allotting the Finance portfolio to P. Chidambaram.

D.V. Raghavan,
Pondicherry

Sir, — It is heartening to note that our MPs have now started realising that they have to make recognisable contributions during their tenure before they can face the electorate again. With 39 MPs, of whom 12 are Ministers, we can expect a substantial contribution for the development of Tamil Nadu. While nation-building is important, it is also important to keep specific problems of the State such as the Cauvery water dispute and support to the farmers in pricing, processing and marketing, in mind.

S. Chelliah,
Chennai

Sir, — Congratulations to Dr. Singh for successfully completing the first step in government formation. Being an able administrator and a person with a brilliant academic background, it is hoped that he will not give in to pressures from any quarters on matters concerning defence, internal security, working of the CBI and the CVC, etc., and will provide a clean administration.

S. Raghothaman,
Chennai

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• BREACHING COALITION DHARMA
• REGIONALISATION AND THE VOTE
• The plight of two nations
• Public health priorities
• Rejection ignored
• Sonia's 'renunciation'
• The new team

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