The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : ‘No’ to early election

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Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

‘No’ to early election

The report that key UPA allies are opposed to early elections (June 24) comes as a relief to the nation. The enormous expenditure incurred on general elections will be literally backbreaking to bear by a disillusioned public already groaning under the bludgeoning impact of inflation. The government should take positive steps to restore the confidence of the people and clear the imbroglio surrounding the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal. It should stay and fight the battle rather than run away to fight another day.

R. Ramachandra Rao,

Hyderabad

The UPA constituents are too scared to face the electorate, which is why they are opposed to elections. With the oil import bills skyrocketing, India needs alternative sources of energy. The benefits of going ahead with the nuclear deal far outweigh the security apprehensions expressed by the Left parties. The UPA government has shown itself to be a weak and unstable coalition. It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister’s words of wisdom have fallen on deaf ears.

C.M. Umanath,

Kozhikode

That the UPA allies are unified in their opposition to early elections is hardly surprising. Every constituent wants to retain power at all costs, the differences over the nuclear deal notwithstanding. All the constituents feel that the impasse over the issue can be resolved through dialogue. But the painful reality is even after protracted negotiations, the Left parties are opposed to the nuclear deal even as pressure mounts on the Manmohan Singh government to clinch it. In this no-win situation, the best thing for the UPA government is to bide its time till the general elections are held next year.

P.K. Varadarajan,

Chennai

The political climate is against the nuclear deal. Inflation needs all the attention of the government. The UPA government would do well to take up the deal in January 2009, by when inflation would have been considerably tamed.

M. Govindarajulu,

Chennai

The time being spent by the Left parties and the UPA discussing the nuclear deal is much more than the projected benefits. Dr. Singh is backing a deal that will at the very best provide us with only five per cent of our future power needs. The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, projected as an answer to our energy needs, is not ideal either. It will pass through one of the most unstable and dangerous regions of the world. With all our resources, do we really need to panic about the energy situation?

S. Nityananda,

Bangalore

When more than a billion people are reeling under the burden of price rise, our well educated Prime Minister has reportedly threatened to resign not for failing to tackle the situation but for failing to carry forward the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. He is obviously more concerned about the U.S. President than his own countrymen.

Musharab Hussain,

Guwahati

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