Modi’s growing clout

The BJP central election committee’s decision to persuade patriarch LK Advani to refrain from moving away from his home turf in Gandhinagar in Narendra Modi-ruled Gujarat to Bhopal in Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s Madhya Pradesh reflects the growing clout of the Gujarat Chief Minister.

He has clearly taken control of the party in the run-up to the polls. The move has left Advani bruised and will only widen the rift between the two leaders.

Besides, the octogenarian has been left playing second fiddle to Modi ever since he opposed the latter’s projection as the party’s USP in the forthcoming elections. How the tide has changed!

NJ Ravi Chander

Bangalore

A better measure of poverty

This refers to “Who has benefited from growth?” ( Business Line , Mar.19) by Ashoak Upadhyay. Judging the effect of economic growth on people’s quality of life, as suggested by a McKinsey Global Institute study, is a more creditable way to evaluate poverty in India than the prevalent concept of poverty line.

It shifts the debate on poverty eradication from a political plane to an economic problem. The real challenge for Indian economists is to balance the use of digital technology which accelerates productivity (and growth) but has an adverse effect on job creation at lower levels.

The increasing employment of informal labour is an easy but inhuman escape route.

YG Chouksey

Pune

Right to shelter

This is with reference to your editorial “Home truths” ( Business Line , Mar). instead of worrying about the landed and the promoters, it is time we made the right to shelter a fundamental right.

KR Prakash

email

Burden of NPAs

This is with regard to “In deep waters” (Business Line, Mar. ) by NS Vageesh. NPAs are becoming like any other commodity in the market for purchase and sale. Banks, in collusion with borrowers, generate NPAs and sell them in the market or write them off.

Depositors bear the brunt along with tax payers. Since PSBs are not allowed to fail because of the backing of the Government and the flow of funds both from depositors and the Government in the form of capital induction using tax payers’ money cannot be stopped by any means, NPAs will continue to plague the system unchallenged.

The financial discipline expected of bankers and borrowers has been eluding us for decades and the beneficiaries are politicians and borrowers with criminal background.

TV Gopalakrishnan Krishnan

Bangalore

Contestants, pay up

Some leaders contest elections from two constituencies. Though the provisions do exist to do so, this is a ploy to ensure their win from at least one seat. Of course, should the candidates win from both constituencies they vacate one of the two seats, triggering a by-poll.

Considering that the candidates are doing this for their own good, why should the country incur the additional expenditure? Candidates who contest from two constituencies and win both must bear the entire expenditure.

The better option would be to declare the runner-up candidate the winner. Then the question of by-poll does not arise at all.

VS Jayaraman

Chennai

Expectations from Kejriwal

Kejriwal needs to have a clear agenda to solve national problems. Leadership requires that one works as a team and not in isolation. Rigidity does not work, especially in politics. Kejriwal must show courage to lead the government successfully, if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.

Till date Kejriwal has behaved more like an activist and less like a politician.

He must learn some tricks of politics but with honesty — he must demonstrate that honest politicians too can serve the country. If he behaves like an ex-IRS officer only, Kejriwal will end up being a lone ranger in Indian politics.

Mahesh Kumar

Delhi

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