Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Natwar's resignation

The ruling party and the Opposition are equally to blame for the frequent disruptions in the winter session of Parliament, this time largely over the Volcker report. Natwar Singh's decision to resign will hopefully restore some order. It will ensure an impartial enquiry into the charges against him and also affirm the UPA Government's commitment to get to the root of the issue. Now that the Opposition has got what it wanted, its members must behave more responsibly.

Rahul Kumar,
New Delhi

After Aneil Mathrani's revelations to India Today magazine, the veracity of the Volcker Committee's findings does not seem in doubt. Mr. Mathrani's subsequent denials and allegations of breach of faith are immaterial.

B. Krishnakumar,
Secunderabad

The Congress can now heave a sigh of relief. It is only appropriate that Mr. Singh resigns as Minister allowing space for a full-fledged, impartial investigation.

K.P. Ashok Kumar,
Thiruvananthapuram

The Minister's decision to quit the Cabinet at a time when integrity and democratic practices are on the decline among politicians is a welcome step. While it is true that politicians facing graver charges remain and have remained in power, two wrongs cannot make a right.

K.S. Thampi,
Chennai

Mr. Singh's resignation is a victory for the Opposition, which kept the pressure on him from day one and forced the Congress and the Prime Minister to act. But for such pressure, the issue would have been given a quiet burial.

Vinoo Ramakrishnan,
Washington

The Volcker report is a classic case of arriving at the premise from the conclusion. The Opposition should have waited for all evidence to surface and pounced on the Government only if it had failed to act.

Ramani P. Easwaran,
Bangalore

It appears that Mr. Singh has been made a scapegoat in the issue. The Opposition should bear in mind that no one is guilty until the charges against him are proved. It should have waited for the Enforcement Directorate's report. In the NDA Government, even charge sheeted Ministers were allowed to continue in power. Disrupting Parliament's proceedings at the drop of a hat only costs the exchequer dear and delays the passage of important bills.

R. Sekar,
Nalco Nagar, Orissa

The embarrassment caused to the Congress could have been avoided had Natwar Singh quit earlier. That way, he could have lived to fight his battle another day. Now matters have swung to an inevitable finale of quittance with loss of face, fame, and future.

K.M. Sundaram,
Chennai

Mr. Singh has finally given in but he is unlikely to give up. The NDA should have allowed him some respite. Now that he has agreed to put in his papers as soon as the Prime Minister returns from Russia, the Opposition should let him and the Volcker issue be.

U.S. Iyer,
Bangalore

Why should Mr. Singh wait for the Prime Minister to return from Moscow to send in his resignation? Did not the UPA Government get the President to sign the proclamation on the Bihar Assembly dissolution when he was away in the Russian capital?

R.S. Swaminathan,
Pothepalli, A.P.

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