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A horrifying truth

TSI’s cover story on sugar (TSI, September 7-13) was horrifying and revealing. Why are the top government officials not taking serious actions? In fact, India’s approach to regulating sugar is an example of how populist policies can hurt the very people they were meant to help– the farmers and the rural poor. It is a highly politicised crop and in every one can find lot of corruption, scandals and scams at every level. We all know that Sugar is an Indian culinary and cultural touchstone, which is liberally mixed into everything from a syrupy tea to dense sweets. And with festive season just around the corner, the sad part is the commodity has soared by 35 per cent this year to its highest price ever amid dwindling supply and rising demand. Result is, greedy middlemen are hoarding the sugar. Because of unjust policies, many sugarcane farmers turned to other crops. The bad monsoon this year is another blow which has worsened the situation. The UPA government must check this and do something for the cries of both farmers and consumers.

Ajay Kumar

Ranchi The new youth icon

The youth icon, Rahul Gandhi, who led Congress to a historical win has proven his worthiness and has shown a new path of developmental politics. He is adamant about bringing in a more democratic procedure into the Indian political system. Rahul want to phase out old timers and bring fresh air into Indian politics - that means Rahul is transforming his words into actions: “All barriers will be broken to ensure youth entry into politics.” Yes, he might not be the best politician yet, but at least he is taking steps to bring life and revive people’s hope in the current political atmosphere which has become dirty and corrupt. The good governance introduced by Rahul Gandhi will definitely reap fruits and check corruption. Youth should come forward to utilise the opportunity and join Rahul’s hands in determining India’s future as it is their voice, vision and intelligence which can take the country forward in the field of development.

Vikesh bhatia

Chandigarh Time to reincarnate

TSI’s story on BJP (TSI, September 7-13) by Anil Pandey) was a good read and once again showed the apathy that the party is going through. As Gulzari Lal rightly pointed out that the party leadership is arrogant and myopic, the present situation also signals towards the need of rebuilding the country’s opposition party. It needs to infuse fresh blood into it – exactly what congress is doing right now. However, the revival initiatives have so far been largely confined to internal bickering and various leaders blaming each other for the party’s defeat in the recent General Election. The top leaders have frequently described its vision of India as “One people, one nation, one culture”, which ignores the current reality. In order to move forward, it has to be a “party with a difference”. Truly this is not the BJP one aspired for.

Harish Mohan

Chennai