Centre’s stand on the Telangana issue shows poor judgement

The report PM calls for calm (December 17) documents the fallout of the UPA government’s ill-considered and hurried decision on a subject as emotional as the creation of a new state.

Centre’s stand on the Telangana issue shows poor judgement
The report PM calls for calm (December 17) documents the fallout of the UPA government’s ill-considered and hurried decision on a subject as emotional as the creation of a new state. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has created a situation the government cannot wriggle out of without bloodshed and loss of property, not just limited to Andhra Pradesh. If the Congress is to survive this blunder, both the PM and Home Minister P. Chidambaram should offer to quit and allow someone better qualified to tackle the situation.
N.A. Prabhu, Houston

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Stop kowtowing to the US
Barkha Dutt’s comments in A Headley mystery (Third Eye, December 12) have only confirmed what’s been expressed by detractors of America before: that the US has two sets of standards, one for itself and another for the rest of the world. The David Headley-Tahawwur Rana saga only goes to show that when it comes to national interest, there are no laws that the US government allows to stand in its way, while asking the rest of us to stick to the straight and narrow. It’s time we learnt to chart our own course too.
Mrityunjay K. Sinha, Patna

Of duds and dirty deals
The editorial Firmly on the ground (The Pundit, December 17) brought renewed attention to an old problem. No amount of money or time has shaken the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) out of its stupor, and this latest cash infusion is only likely to produce more excuses and delays. The fact that its leg-dragging on indigenisation of weaponry — that leads to the government’s reluctance to award contracts to foreign firms — is endangering the lives of our defence forces, doesn’t seem to bother the scientists at DRDO very much. DRDO duds and recurring defence scams can only lead to the plummeting of morale in our armed forces.
Kaveri Rohtas, via email

Only adding to our woes
One wonders how Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit can talk about Delhiites having to pay more when people are already reeling under the impact of soaring prices of essential commodities (Get ready for a more costly 2010: Dikshit, December 16). The common man is being hit hard from all directions. Can’t the Delhi government formulate a system to check black-marketing and hoarding of grain and pulses, rampant in markets today. The government should please spare the residents of Delhi the added agony of new taxes and fare hikes, all in the name of the Commonwealth Games next year.
Rajan Kalia, via email

Waiting for justice to be done
The 26/11 Mumbai attack has been one of the worst terrorist outrages in recent years, and it is only now that the ghastly plot has begun to unravel (Rana was in on 26/11 plot, December 16). Over a year has passed since the attacks but its wounds are still fresh in our memory and every Indian citizen is aching for justice to be done. The arrest of Tahawwur Rana bodes well for the investigation, but it will only serve its purpose once Rana is finally brought to justice. We need to make an example of him to send a strong message to all those who think they are beyond the reach of the law.
Milind Kher, via email

Neglect we can ill-afford
The inflation figures released by the government are bogus, manipulated, and bear no resemblance to market reality. One thing is clear though: high prices do not worry our politicians. If they did, we would not have come to a juncture where the most basic things like pulses have become unaffordable.
Bhagwan Thadani, via email