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Antony must quit
This refers to Kanwar Sandhu’s article “The albatross around UPA’s neck” (March 5). No doubt, Admiral Joshi’s resignation on February 26, the day a fire in the battery compartment of INS Sindhuratna killed two officers and injured seven sailors, was in the best traditions of service. But would it improve things as for as outdated and un-war worthy armada of the Indian Navy is concerned? This brings us to accountability which became a casualty after Independence. Defence Minister AK Antony was in hurry to accept the Admiral’s resignation so that his own compounded failure to modernise the naval hardware was not called into question. How come three letters from the Naval Headquarters about the poor state of batteries, which are manufactured in India, were ignored by the Ministry of Defence? Antony (Mr Clean) should look objectively at his tenure of inaction to modernise the armed forces and for looking away from scams in defence deals. He should resign for his foibles. A commission of inquiry, as suggested in the article, must be instituted to fix responsibility for the sad state to which the armed forces have drifted over the years. PRITAM BHULLAR, Chandigarh
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Cut rallies, save oil Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram has been appealing to the people to avoid buying gold so that the current account deficit (CAD) could be brought down. To take gold away from the reach of people, the government has gradually increased the import duty on it from 2 per cent to 10 per cent during the past few months. But what Chidambram has chosen to forget is the fact that oil puts much more burden than gold on our economy as it is imported in much more quantities than gold. The consumption of oil can be reduced if politicians refrain from holding rallies so often. They have made the attendance at rallies a barometer of their popularity. We see hundreds of vehicles being pressed into service to carry people to and from the rallies. Often, they are taken forcibly. Ruling parties even misuse the official mahcinery to ensure good attendance at the rallies. In the age of TV, newspapers and internet, the parties can easily send their message to every nook and corner of the country. Why are they been wasting tonnes of petrol and diesel on rallies? Is it not a cruel joke on the poor people of India? SURENDRA MIGLANI, Kaithal Fulfil Kutch promise, Modi
At the Jagraon rally of the SAD-BJP on February 23, Modi had announced that Sikh farmers in Kutch would not be evicted from their farm holdings. It was at the behest of Lal Bahadur Shastri in the mid-1960s that Sikh farmers from Punjab began migrating to Gujarat. Shastri persuaded them to leave their home state in national interest. The farmers toiled hard and cultivated the land in Kutch against heavy odds. Their number is around 50,000 today. In case Modi is sincere, he must withdraw the petition filed by the Gujarat government in the Supreme Court challenging the order of the Gujarat High Court which went in favour of the farmers. More than two weeks have passed since the rally, but there is no news about any follow-up action by the Gujarat government. JAGMINDER DHILLON, via email
Incur medical expenses
In the letter to the editor, Tilak Raj Manni has rightly suggested that the medical allowance of central pensioner be hiked to
Rs 1,500. I feel that the instead of medical allowance, medical aid should be provided free of cost to the pensioners and their family by empanelling some hospitals in each area. Here I would like to give the example of my mother-in-law, who has been getting family pension since September, 1990. Now, she has developed Hepatitis -C, and her leg got fractured, which involved a huge expenditure. She being a pensioner, no family member can claim the huge medical expenditure incurred on her treatment. One can imagine the plight of the elderly woman and there must be many more cases like this which need a sympathetic approach from the pay commission. PARVEEN KUMAR, Patiala
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