Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

USS Nimitz’s visit

This refers to the article “Between the Nimitz and the deep blue sea” (July 5). There is no doubt that the true purpose of the USS Nimitz’s visit to India was to get the public opinion here accustomed to the idea o f increasing military cooperation between India and the U.S. It is also a test of the government’s readiness to handle adverse opinion. That The Hindu has highlighted the incidents that point to the far-reaching changes in India& #8217;s foreign policy even while political parties, with the exception of the Left, have not thought it fit to comment or take a position, busy as they are scoring minor points over one another, is welcome.

Kannan Kasturi,
New Delhi

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The visit of the USS Nimitz and its personnel to Chennai is symbolic of India’s willingness to bend over backwards to please the U.S. A country that aspires to be called a developed nat ion and wants to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council should be able to stand by its convictions. India would do well to learn from countries such as China, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

D. Balakrishnan,
Coimbatore

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The Nimitz visit should remind us of the British invasion that led to the colonial occupation of our country for almost 200 years. The British first came to India by sea as traders. How is i t that the Nimitz sailors who are military personnel and may be carrying arms on their person were allowed to enter our mainland without any clearance, when an Indian returning from a holiday abroad is expected to answer many questions?

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