Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Disturbing

The report that six persons died in clashes in Nandigram, West Bengal, following rumours of land acquisition for a Special Economic Zone, is disturbing. If India is to achieve a sustained economic growth, its political leadership must stop exploiting public sentiments for its vote-bank interests. The violent agitations against the Tata project in Singur in the last few days and now against the SEZ in Nandigram have little to do with political or economic ideology. They are ways of asserting a political party's existence. Exciting the gullible and uninformed, backward and poor masses over national issues and instigating them against the state not only hamper development but also harm the law-abiding citizens. Instead of calling for bandhs, as the Trinamool Congress and other parties in West Bengal and elsewhere do, parties should organise debates and invite speakers from various interested groups to participate.

Ved Guliani,
Bangalore

* * *

The group clashes at Nandigram are another example of a lack of consensus on matters that can trigger violent incidents. Politicians would do well to thrash out their minor differences instead of issuing statements blaming one another after a tragedy has occurred.

P.U. Krishnan,
Udhagamandalam

* * *

The Left Government in its earlier terms laid emphasis on agriculture and achievement of self-sufficiency in food. Now it wants to establish industries at the cost of agriculture. Is it a wise policy?

M.A. Chandrashekar,
Mysore

* * *

More than concern for the masses, the TMC and the Congress seem to be led by passions in opposing the industrial projects of the West Bengal Government. The Left Front Government may by treading the line of neo-liberalism but Mamata Banerjee's concern for the affected, not manifested earlier, be it Narmada or Enron, is questionable.

N. Divakar,
Mysore

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