The Supreme Court is right to advise parties to the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute to find an out-of-court settlement. CJI Khehar’s offer to be principal negotiator is workable only if all the plaintiffs agree to make compromises on their respective claims. With the apex court questioning the role of BJP leaders present during the mosque demolition and the criminality of the act still to be proved, Hindu groups would rather throw their weight behind development and leave Ayodhya on the back-burner. The hearts of Indians will be easier won by better power supply, roads and rule of law.

KS Jayatheertha

Bengaluru

If this attempt is also an exercise in futility, it would be better to pass legislation paving the way for construction of a mandir and a masjid. There is no better substitute than an amicable settlement. Legal measures will leave a scar in the minds of Hindus and Muslims which is not good for co-existence.

KV Seetharamaiah

Hassan, Karnataka

Zero-sum game

The merger of Vodafone and Idea will provide a short-term financial boost to these comparatively smaller players in the aftermath of the price war for 4G mobile broadband. However, with everyone being forced to dance to Reliance’s tunes, there is a looming crisis that threatens the industry and the employees, and progress towards new and advanced communication technologies.

The Government plans to launch the 5G spectrum auction again this year, but the implications of this price war do not augur well for it. It will be difficult to implement the technology for it it; it requires higher broadband capacity and supporting devices. There any no need for the type of lower tariffs Reliance Jio launched suddenly last year that triggered this price war in the telecom sector, especially when telecom carriers are still not allowed to charge for calls made using WhatsApp, Skype, etc and are facing declining revenues from GSM voice.This was just a knee-jerk move by Reliance to offer below break-even rates to capture the market share which is going to aggravate the poor financial stability of our telecom sector. Given the multi-dimensional implications such developments can have for the country, the Government should consider empowering bodies like CCI with legal rights to check short-sighted and selfish moves by private business players that only result in a zero-sum game for the industry.

Aravind Sridhar

Bengaluru

Don’t underestimate voters

This is with reference to ‘Unstoppable BJP’ by Anand Kalyanaraman (From the Viewsroom, March 22). The results are a victory for the aspirations of average Indian voters who have proved they cannot be taken for granted.They have shown that caste and religion are no more electoral issues. The people want development, economic growth and jobs. Young people are not interested in digging up past issues.

Veena Shenoy

Thane, Maharashtra

It is premature to say that the BJP cannot make inroads in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh (where it is a junior partner with TDP) and West Bengal (increased its vote share). It is getting support from people in all walks of life, and there is no credible leader with the charisma and oratorical skill of Narendra Modi, nor a strategist like Amit Shat and a wide network of dedicated party workers. The present round of elections showed that people are dumping parochial, caste-based and regional parties as they do not have national outlook.

HP Murali

Bengaluru

Focus on solar energy

It is a well established fact that the Athirappilly hydropower project is unsuitable and unfeasible as there is not enough rainfall. The rivers are fast drying up. The government should take steps to reduce power loss during transmission and establish perennial projects such as solar power plants. Solar energy projects are ecofriendly and more power can be produced with the money intended for any hydroelectric project.

KA Solaman

Alappuzha, Kerala

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