Admirable admiral

At a time when people want to stick on to power, DK Joshi’ move is laudable (“Navy chief quits over Sindhuratna fire”, February 27). Lal Bahadhur Shastri had similarly resigned four decades ago, consequent to a railway accident. Now the navy chief should dispassionately analyse the reason for such accidents and suggest remedial measures so that corrective steps can be taken.

RS Raghavan

Bangalore

Freebies don’t come free

Subsidy is an expensive form of social policy adopted and promoted by political parties. It is one form of exploitation of the ignorance of society without understanding the damage it causes to economic growth.

Political leaders don’t contribute to subsidies, it all comes from tax-payers whose contributions are actually meant for infrastructure development and public welfare schemes.In fact, freebies and subsidies do not benefit the common man, they only make citizens and the government lazy and unproductive.

There is no rationale for parties such as AAP demanding a reduction in the power tariff. Reduction will only lead to no power generation and blackouts thereby dampening industrial growth and seriously depleting production, employment and export opportunities.

Power and energy can never be cheaper given the rising fuel and operational and maintenance costs.

The government should privatise power generation with a basket of fuels such as coal and gas, but monitor and control transmission and distribution of energy to agriculture, and domestic, industrial and commercial consumers based on affordability. Electricity should be metred and supplied to farmers on the basis of requirement. Renewable energy can be used to supplement and stabilise the grid.

JRD Rajakumar

Chennai

Fishermen ignored

Why does the Centre give undue importance to the two Italian marines when there is not even a mention about the fate of the fishermen from Tamil Nadu?

Shree Sakthi S

e-mail

No surprises

The claim made by the conglomeration of 11 parties to have unalloyed ‘secular’ credentials and their coming together to fight the BJP and the Congress in the election does not surprise anybody (“Third front is a parking sector”, February 27). Like always, it will start with a bang and end with a whimper.

Fringe groups in the front conveniently throw ideology to the winds in their quest for greener pastures, i.e. ministerial posts in return for support. The chiefs of all the 11 parties want to become prime minister, but don’t want to head the coalition.

HP Murali

Bangalore

Foul is foul

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has crossed all boundaries of decency by using foul language against Narendra Modi. Such behaviour will definitely go against the Congress which has lost the election even before it is held.

Freedom of expression does not mean use of bad language.

M Kumar

New Delhi

Polling on opinions

It seems the Election Commission may ban opinion polls. Actually they should be regulated. There should be a minimum number of sample surveys, recording of such material and so on. The ruling party’s push for banning opinion polls is uncalled for, as it is afraid of losing Lok Sabha election.Opinion polls reflect the mood of the masses. But they do not always present a true picture as they are based on sample surveys. Yet they are a fundamental right, even if they affect poll results.

Mahesh Kapasi

New Delhi

Sure shot

With reference to The Cheat Sheet, Jayalalithaa really knows the pulse of the people (“The giving mother” by Tanya Thomas, February 27). Amma canteens will be a sure-shot hit if she opens them across India. All she has to do is mobilise all the foodgrains that get rotten in the open godowns of the FCI.

Premam

Visakhapatnam

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