While most of the top Congress leaders are abstaining from contesting the elections for fear of failure, defence minister AK Antony is hinting at the possibility of forming a fresh secular front with the Left to keep the BJP out of power. If Congress leaders are true to their secular credentials they should stop practising communal appeasement. Antony is asking the CPI(M) in Kerala to stop opposing the Congress; the Congress can return the favour. Making agreements with everyone to remain in power is a misguided move.

KA Solaman

Alappuzha

Unabashed self-promotion

Renunciation resonates with the people. But in Modi we have a leader who unabashedly refers to himself as the future prime minister. Any citizen is within his rights to nurse this ambition. But he or she must be living in a fool’s paradise to believe that the post of prime minister is filled by self-nomination. By his undisguised self-promotion, Modi looks like a power hungry politician — a far cry from a statesman. The institution of the PM needs more than the mental make-up of a chieftain of a primitive clan in order to lead the heterogeneous population, an ‘explosive’ mix of race and religion.

G David Milton

Kanyakumari

The inflation question

With reference to “The case against inflation targeting” by Pulapre Balakrishnan (March 31), I agree that the RBI cannot work on the singular monetary policy focus of targeting inflation because sometimes it has no control over inflation. Inflation can be Demand-Pull or Cost-Push. In the case of Demand-Pull inflation, which means overheating of the economy, tweaking interest rates does help control inflation. But in the case of Cost-Push inflation, which is what India is facing now, interest rate tweaking might have a negative impact. Cost-Push inflation could be caused by failure of the monsoon or populist measures by fixing high procurement prices or entirely external factors /global economic scenario or a combination of these. Sridhar Narasimhan

e-mail

Yes, the Central government is the culprit. It has almost destroyed the booming economy by its populist policies.

TG Ramachandran

Coimbatore

The article makes for an excellent read. Rigidly trying to target a certain rate of inflation is attempting the impossible. Keeping inflation down may work, but it will come at great cost to the economy.

M Shettigar

Bangalore

“Family matters” by C Gopinath (March 31) lends credence to the axiom “It is easy to preach but not practise what one preaches”. While “patrimonial capitalism” rules the roost in the Indian corporate world, dynastic succession is more the rule than the exception in most of the political parties. This antithetical practice is steadily taking firm root in many areas.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

Tread carefully

With reference to “Mere profit motive won’t work” by Mamuni Das (March 31, let us tread a bit cautiously on this white elephant the high speed rail. Even in China it has run out of steam, it is reported.

S Subramanyan

Mumbai

Smart couture

You may love him or hate him but you cannot ignore this cleverest of politicians (“MK on song — in Hindi”, Below the Line, March 31) Once he surprised everyone in Delhi, while he was then supporting the BJP, by appearing attired in a white pyjama and shirt!

Kandaswamy

Dindigul

Feeling groovy

There is now a ‘feel good’ factor everywhere. In cricket India is a hot contender to lift the T20 trophy. The rupee is strengthening day by day. FIIs have come back to Indian bourses and the Sensex is creating new records every day. The CAD has come down to a more manageable level. It is hoped inflation will be brought under control and the people will have every reason to smile.

BN Bharath

Hubli

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