Timely intervention

The Supreme Court has come out strongly on the issue of foreign bank accounts because it suspects foul play. No matter what the consequences, any treaty or clause which is not in the interest of the nation should be scrapped forthwith with the consent of Parliament. This was the stand of the BJP when they were in the opposition and their sudden about-turn has exposed them thoroughly.

Playing coy in the initial stages by taking shelter under the confidentiality clause like the Congress did, the BJP also tried its level best to shield powerful people involved in this shameful act of treachery. Undoubtedly, but for the proactive and timely intervention by the judiciary and selfless activists such as Prashant Bhushan, things would have gone from bad to worse. The apex court’s welcome decision was only to be expected, for it was the same judge, HL Dattu, who had in March excoriated the UPA government for seeking to wind up the SIT set up under an order of an earlier bench headed by Justice B Sudershan Reddy.

Ettirankandath Krishnadas

Palakkad, Kerala

The apex court’s posers to the Government on the latter shying away from revealing the names of all black money holders are highly thought-provoking and meaningful and have relevance to some other issues as well. A case in point is the list of corporate loan defaulters and high value NPA borrowers, whose apathy towards repaying their heavy borrowings has been giving a jolt to the country’s banking sector and thereby the economy as well. One hopes the day is not far when the Supreme Court's axe will fall on this segment also.

N Vijaygopalan

Thiruvananthapuram

Land is vital

This refers to the article “The myth of coal availability” by Pratim Ranjan Bose (October 29). The issues raised are vital. Land is the last recourse for farmers and when we take that from them we need to provide jobs to them. This is the vital support we can provide in this land of no social safety nets. Making the rich richer should not be the only policy of the Government while looking at land acquisition. Let us compensate land-owners of and then talk about development.

CR Arun

Email

Complex issue

With reference to “Predatory pricing and the law” by Paku Khan and Manas Chaudhuri (October 29), the growing presence of e-retailers and the scope of e- commerce in India is a wake-up call. To deal with such complex issues we must come up with a strong mechanism where the consumers benefit from e-retailing and the government tackle malpractices as well.

Deepak Kumar

Bhiwani, Haryana

Beats logic

D Sampathkumar makes a bizarre argument in “Of course they were in the know” (October 29) that after the NSEL scam retail investors would have knowingly invested in FTIL to take advantage of falling prices, hence they must face the consequence of the forced merger of FTIL and NSEL.

By the same logic the avaricious NSEL investor must face the consequence of risking his money. Government interference in the matter is uncalled for as it should be settled between the lender and the borrower, failing which any criminality should be dealt with as per law.

SG Prasad

Hyderabad

Make Bengal safe

The news item, “Bengal’s olive branch to Tatas” (October 29) makes for a refreshing read. It is good that the Trinamool Congress government has at last realised the fact that only with the setting up of industries in the State will it solve the unemployment problem. That will fill the coffers to run the wheels of administration smoothly and there will be no danger of becoming a parasite.

First and the foremost, the West Bengal government must put an end to violence and rampant political killings by giving a free hand to the police to deal with wrong-doers irrespective of their political affiliations. Before setting up shop, industrialists expect a congenial atmosphere to prevail in the location they choose. An uncertain political climate means their efforts will go waste.

HP Murali

Bangalore

In black and white

The Centre announcing the names of black money holders who stashed money abroad is not enough. The Government should punish those who evaded taxes. But that’s highly unlikely. Black money holders are the favourites of political parties as they are big donors to politicians and parties.

A better and easier way for the Finance Minister is to announce an Amnesty Scheme to black money holders to induce them to declare and bring back unaccounted money from abroad on the condition that black money would be shared between the Government and the black money holders on 50:50 basis. The Government would get a huge amount quickly and in a short period. And the Governemnt should also abolish the 1 per cent surcharge on the super rich, which is an inducement to evade tax.

S Raghunatha Prabhu

Alappuzha, Kerala

It’s a shame that the Supreme Court had to intervene in the black money issue. Is it not the moral responsibility of the Government to flush out black money from abroad? Why should we hide behind a bilateral treaty? Is the treaty more important than national interests? The BJP had come to power on moral high, but had lost all its authority to rule and govern. They should have revealed the names even at the cost of losing power.

SA Srinivasa Sarma

Hyderabad

Jaya ho!

This refers to “What is in store for Tamil Nadu” by N Ramakrishnan (October 29). In jail or out of it, J Jayalalithaa remains the most charismatic politician in the State at present. What is intriguing is that the support to her has only increased following her recent conviction. As long as she is alive and the AIADMK the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa’s writ will run there. The DMK does not stand a chance in the next state assembly election. But the BJP is likely to grow in stature. Jayalalithaa is too resilient a politician and quite capable of fighting against daunting odds. Her recent term as CM was decisive and path breaking. She is unlikely to fade away easily.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

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