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Friday, Jul 18, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Politics of the deal

The UPA government has lost the people's confidence not only on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal but also on the economic front. Despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's repeated assurance that inflation will be brought under control, nothing substantial has happened. On the nuclear deal, the government has repeatedly contradicted itself. Not only did it digress from the common minimum programme it agreed to with the Left parties, it also betrayed the people by going ahead with the deal without reaching a consensus in Parliament. To top it all, it is trying frantically to get sufficient numbers in the Lok Sabha to help it win the trust vote, allying with parties it would have never considered for powersharing. Even if the UPA scrapes through, it will only be a technical victory of a government that has lost the support of its people.

Seriene Mohammed,
Alappuzha

It is painful to see the trust vote campaign leading to the formation of new political groupings, based neither on ideology nor action plan but political opportunism. The Congress, which happily enjoyed the support of the Left parties until recently, is now keen on clinching the nuclear deal through means that cross the limits of political decency. The common man is expecting nothing from this trust vote because the issue at stake does not concern him at all.

C.K. Rahul,
Hyderabad

The deal is no longer a national issue - it is a political issue on which the UPA is doing everything it can to appease those who agree with it and blindly ignore those who seek explanations. The focus is just on winning the trust vote.

Neha Singh,
Gurgaon

Even if the UPA government wins the trust vote on July 22, it will be at the mercy of small parties that will keep demanding their pound of flesh every now and then. It is better to hold early elections, after which hopefully the UPA or the NDA can get the required numbers to run a stable coalition government that is free from the influence of small parties and individuals.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

I cannot believe that a party which fought for independence is mortgaging sovereignty to a declining empire. The government should solve the greater crisis of inflation which is hitting the poorest of the poor. Unfortunately, it has ignored the sensible advice of the Left parties and chosen to follow the American doctrine of neo-liberalism.

Jouhar Hussain,
Chennai

It is most unfortunate that the Congress, which was in the forefront of the freedom struggle, has thrown all principles to the winds to continue in power. The nation has not witnessed a scenario in which the ruling party has been driven to seek a vote of confidence on an issue that it did not want to discuss in detail in Parliament.

S. Nallasivan,
Tirunelveli

The political scene is utterly mindboggling and reiterates that truth is stranger than fiction. Leaders who have rarely met, meet each other very often. Who met who is a conundrum.

M. Ramankutty,
Tripunithura

Many a time, cartoons have an edge over detailed reports published in the media. The one on the alleged horse-trading indulged in by the Congress-led UPA government (July 16) was apt and timely. It was pregnant with meaning.

K.D. Viswanaathan,
Coimbatore

On seeing the cartoon, I laughed out aloud. A common man does not understand the government's undue urgency to push through the nuclear deal which puts at risk the very survival of the government. As there are other burning problems to be addressed internally, the nuclear deal can wait till new governments take over here and the U.S.

K.S. Gopalarathnam,
Tiruchi

What will the Left parties achieve by bringing down the UPA government? Parliamentary elections will follow and, as recent elections have shown, the BJP will improve its position at the cost of the Congress.

K. Balu,
Chennai

The nuclear deal has until now done more harm than good. At a time when the nation is grappling with issues such as inflation, food insecurity, and the slowing down of the economy, it has further pushed us towards political instability. Instead of tackling the pressing problems, the government has been forced to prove its majority in Parliament and ensure that it completes its term. It will be a pity to see the deal crash out without giving us the benefits it is meant to, after all the chaos it has caused.

Vivek Agarwal,
Lucknow

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