Letters to the Editor: What’s there to celebrate?

What’s there to celebrate?

Media reports said BJP is planning grand countrywide celebrations on completion of eight years of Narendra Modi government at the Centre. One wonders as to what has the Modi government achieved in the last eight years that warrant celebration. On the contrary, India has slipped on every global index from hunger to press freedom. Inflation is sucking poor people’s savings, unemployment is at an all-time high, persistent religious polarisation has damaged the social fabric, the country has almost turned into a police state. The promised ‘Achhce Din’ are nowhere to be seen. Yet the BJP wants to celebrate.

Shubhojit Dasgupta, Ghaziabad

Why import coal?

In a bizarre order, the power ministry has warned state-run thermal power companies of domestic coal supply cuts if they do not import coal for blending by June 15, media reports have said. India has reversed a policy to cut coal imports to zero. The power ministry slashed total June domestic coal supply targets to 56.2 million tonnes from 63.3 million tonnes earlier. The balance requirement would have to be met from imported coal and from captive coal mines, it said. This subtle arm-twisting seems strange on first sight, but the pieces of jigsaw puzzle begin to fall in place when seen in the light of a related development. Why, one of the crony friends of our fuhrer has a coal mine abroad and is ready to export coal.

Sharad Joshi, Bengaluru

How indecisive

The flip flop on the wheat export is not the only indecisive act of a supposedly decisive Union Government. The RBI within weeks changed its stance on inflation and bank rates. The PM first boasted of being able to feed the world and export wheat but within weeks banned export of wheat, only to change his stand under pressure. This same decisive Government is unable to appoint a Chief of Defence Services (CDS) even six months after the tragic death of the first CDS General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash. Now the concept of having a CDS itself is said to be under consideration. There is no end to the soap opera, it would seem.

Vivek Sabnis, Gurugram

Oh, China

China is not only making a new bridge at Pangong Pso in Ladakh (yes, the same place where Na Koi Ghusahaina koi ghusatha) but also making 39,000 wheels for The Vande Bharat trains in India.

Geeta Shukla, Faridabad

A joke

One silver lining in these dark times is some Indians’ sense of humour. There has been a large number of stand up comics and satirists providing some comic relief. This morning itself I noticed a tongue-in-cheek comment on ‘Dig Veda’ and someone cheekily saying that only if the economy is buried under a mosque will the government and the people look for it! Thank God for small mercies.

Sandhya, Lucknow

(This was first published in National Herald on Sunday)