Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

PM's stand

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that his Government will not buckle under any pressure (Feb. 2) is heartening but the ground realities, particularly with regard to Iran, do not match his claim.

Sahil Vinayak,
Patiala, Punjab

* * *

Dr. Singh's words come as a relief to all who were apprehensive of a tilt in India's foreign policy. It is easy to say the Government must evolve a foreign policy that gives India diplomatic space while retaining autonomy of decision. But the country is witnessing a new world order with its own risks and opportunities. It should therefore adopt a policy that is moralistic but less doctrinaire than it was in Nehruvian times.

B.K. Mini,
Punnayurkulam, Kerala

* * *

None can disagree with Dr. Singh that he should be judged by what he does rather than by what the Opposition says. But by any objective yardstick, he is the weakest Prime Minister we have ever had. Starting from the latest, inclusion of Sushil Kumar Shinde, while he was holding a constitutional post, in the Cabinet, the defreezing of the Quattrocchi accounts, making the defeated Shivraj Patil Union Home Minister — the list is endless. Would he have been party to all this and much more had he been strong?

K.R.P. Gupta,
Mumbai

* * *

When Dr. Singh said the "division of labour" between him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi was "working well," one wondered for whom. Why make a futile attempt to make a virtue of a necessity?

K.R. Nambiar,
Nileshwar, Kerala

* * *

Ms. Gandhi, says Dr. Singh, is a source of strength, not weakness. As an accomplished man, who has occupied prestigious positions, it is Dr. Singh who ought to be a source of inspiration and strength for others.

T.K. Vasudevan,
Palakkad, Kerala

* * *

Hamas' victory

Israel's refusal to engage with Hamas is a knee-jerk reaction. During World War II, were not the U.S. and other allied forces assisted by the so-called resistance forces in many countries, including France? Hamas is a legitimately elected party. Its stance on Israel is bound to change now that it is in power. The West would do well to wait and watch for Hamas to negotiate an amicable settlement.

M.S. Khaleel,
Bangalore

* * *

The glimmer of hope for peace in West Asia has disappeared with the victory of Hamas. The militant group has exploited the scars etched in the minds of Palestinians for political mileage. It will prove detrimental to world peace.

Manu Melwin Joy,
Thrissur, Kerala

* * *

Hamas leaders should be grateful to Israeli hardliners for their stunning victory. It would be a mistake if Israel and friends interpret this result as popular support for the whole spectrum of Hamas' ideology. It is only an expression of Palestinian desperation at the slow progress of the peace process.

C.J.M. Mathew,
Faridabad, Haryana

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