Opinion Letters to the editor: Pulling strings?

The Central government resorted to empty rhetoric at the Gyan Sangam (‘The rot stops here’, IE, January 6) when it said that public-sector banks need to be empowered to take commercially viable decisions. At a time when PSBs are ailing because of non-performing assets, the SBI has decided to loan the Adani group $1 billion for a coal-mining project in Australia. This decision was announced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a tour to Australia. Was that just a coincidence? This will be the heftiest line of credit by an Indian bank for a foreign project. One hopes that the ability of Adani to service and repay the debt has been taken into account, not just the corporate house’s perceived closeness to Modi. The government needs to walk the talk if it is serious about improving the health of the banking sector.
— Minu Jain
Pune

Road to hell
This refers to ‘When not to use power’ (IE, January 6). It is disheartening to note that the Narendra Modi government, which won the Lok Sabha elections on the plank of good governance, is resorting to ordinances to usher in reforms, rather than going through Parliament. This is not only against the spirit of the Constitution, it is also a slap on the face of the common citizen who voted for the BJP and reposed faith in her elected representative to guide this great country. Modi may be under pressure to show results, and the intent behind the reforms and their ends may be noble. But we can’t ignore the means. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. So, please, for the sake of our democracy, don’t trespass on Parliament’s turf or cross constitutional and moral limits.
— Ankur Sharma
Chandausi

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Now focus
This refers to ‘UPA by another name’ by Jahangir Aziz (IE, January 5). Even after completing more than seven months in office, the NDA government has not been able to influence the investment decisions and perceptions of households or corporate houses. Certainly, inflation has come crashing down, thanks to the sharp decrease in world oil prices and better agricultural supply management. But the investment cycle hasn’t restarted. This is because the government’s energies are being unnecessarily diverted towards Hindutva-related issues.
— Parthasarathy Sen
New Delhi

Lethal intention
The Hindu Mahasabha’s attempt to celebrate Shaurya Divas in memory of Nathuram Godse is a clear attempt to demean and attack our secular values. What message does it seek to send out by proposing to celebrate the Mahatma’s killer?
— B.B. Goyal
Ludhiana