New challenges before PM

THE sum and substance of Mr Hari Jaisingh’s article (“Regeneration of India: is PM ready to face new challenges?”, November 26) is that a new socio-political atmosphere of openness, accountability, criticism and self-criticism is the crying need of the hour. By ‘regeneration’ the author seems to mean a real revolution of the consciousness which is a prerequisite for the creation of a new life in our democracy. If we are to survive we need to have a political system which can withstand the presence of populism and attend to the long-term interests of the country.

By the way, is it beyond human ingenuity to devise practical ways of ensuring the probity of men holding public offices? This is not a party issue. Neither the ruling BJP nor the Opposition seems to offer a beacon of hope in this area of darkness. If India were a true/democratic welfare state, the concern would have been people’s welfare. But in the political state that we are, the concern should naturally be to take care of the politician’s welfare and to hell with the people!

Mr Jaisingh rightly stresses that we need an economic system which will help to accelerate the growth of the economy and at the same time eliminate the dragon of corruption eating into the vitals of our society and destroying all possibilities of good governance.

The warning to the Vajpayee government in the light of (non)performance of his previous government is significant. Several myths of the government stood demolished—that it would bring about radical departure from previous national policies, rectify the mistakes of the past, reorient policies and guide the country in a direction that would fulfil the aspirations of the people. No doubt, the fragile nature of that regime was seemingly preventing any concrete move to remedy the situation. But if even now the government—apparently much less precarious than its predecessor—fails to perform it has only itself to blame, and what is more, it would have frittered a great opportunity to convert its present right to govern into a solid mandate to rule.

In short, what the people require from the Vajpayee government immediately is less of politics and ideological hypocrisy and more of practical measures which will see us through many of our current problems. And this calls for a new vision, a new creative and constructive impulse rooted in a new motivational force.

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

Requirements of common man: Even 52 years after Independence India is caught in the poverty trap. Illiteracy, death, disease and starvation stare you in the face.

A man in the street needs dal roti, safe drinking water, employment, healthcare, a thatched roof on his head, etc. Women need just a dhoti to hide their skin. Globalisation, liberalisation and economic reforms are too doctrinaire for a commoner to understand. We have failed to fight fire, flood, famine, drought, cyclone, etc, all these years. What a shame!

States are all bankrupt. Ostentation and extravaganza, pomp and pageantry have engulfed the nation. Media reports rape and robbery. Women are molested on roads, in public buses and at work places. Looters, cheaters, smugglers and swindlers are galoring. The value system has totally degenerated. India needs regeneration from end to end. Prime Minister Vajpayee has to ready himself to face the challenge.

Detractors on the way are many. A power hungry Mr Kalyan Singh (power means money) would get even with Mr Vajpayee, the tallest of Indian leaders. Mr Jyoti Basu’ s only agenda is to pull down the Vajpayee castle. Caste chieftains like Mr Mulayam Singh and Mr Laloo Yadav profess secularism and practice casteism with an eye on self-survival.

The nation should rise as one man to catch all these nation wreckers, these demons of death and destruction to pave the way for Mr Vajpayee to take up the noble task of regeneration of the country.

S.S. JAIN
Chandigarh

“Prisoner of circumstances”: No doubt, Prime Minister Vajpayee seems a “man of vision” who has, thanks to a quirk of circumstances, emerged as an “elder statesman”. He is no longer seen as a mere BJP leader, as Mr Jaisingh has aptly observed. The nation at large seems to be looking towards him quite eagerly/expectantly.

The question of questions: would Mr Vajpayee be able to deliver the expected goods? Indeed, is the “elder statesman” ready to face new challenges?

Well, to my mind, the candid answer to writer’s screeching query seems a big “No”. “why”?, one may pertinently ask. Well, simply because the man happens to be a helpless “prisoner of circumstances” and seems getting increasingly entangled in the “politics of survival”. There is hardly any hopeful sign on the country’s horizon to warrant optimism in the matter.

I, for one, would unhesitatingly award Mr Vajpayee “full marks” if he is able to give the country just a “clean, efficient and responsive government during his stewardship. Mere rhetoric, it must be noted, would not be enough to sustain his public image, let alone earning for him a place in history.

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)

Stumbling block: It cannot be denied that the outdated old set-up of the bygone British era is still continuing in this country in many fields. This set-up has not been able to meet the requirements of the modern times. Rather it is a stumbling block on the way of our progress.

Undoubtedly, the government wants to ameliorate the lot of the poor and needy sections of society. But the benefits granted do not percolate to the genuinely poor people. Reason? The recommendations made at the lower rung, that is, at the panchayat level, are flawed. The result is that the poor continue to remain poor.

IQBAL SINGH,
Bijhari, (Hamirpur)

Wanted: Kiran Bedi

The recent incidents in the Chennai Central Jail reminds me of jail reforms successfully undertaken by Ms Kiran Bedi in Delhi. Apparently, we need to have more Kiran Bedis.

But why only jails? There is a crying need for administrative reforms in many other areas too, both at the district and state levels.

To me it appears that there is a vacancy for a Kiran Bedi almost everywhere. May her tribe increase!

Wg Cdr C.L. SEHGAL (retd)
Jalandhar