Power games

This refers to ‘BSP chief Mayawati not in race for Parliament; to focus on campaign’ ( March 21). Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati’s decision not to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls cannot be taken at face value more so when it has come so suddenly. While the grand alliance is making it clear that Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav are not contesting the polls and instead focussing on campaigning against the BJP in the 80 seats in the UP, the moot question is: Are the two leaders insecure about the “fragile” alliance they have forged?

However, it was quite interesting to learn about Mayawati's ‘self-emboldening’ plea that she had not contested the polls in 1995 and 2007, the years she became Chief Minister of the State. According to the BSP supremo, “it is the need of the hour that I do not contest in the Lok Sabha polls. And, this is the reason that I have decided not to contest in the Lok Sabha polls”.

There may not be many takers for this. But then, she also said that entering Parliament will not be a problem for her and if the need arises she can contest from any seat by getting it vacated. She will not face any problem. By the way, who will foot the bill for that by-election? Let the voters take the final call as per their own wisdom and valued judgment.

Bengaluru

With reference to ‘Underemployment is the problem, not joblessness’ (March 20), it is a fact that youngsters educated in professional institutions have to seek employment in very low positions and in fields which are unrelated to their qualifications. This situation deserves urgent attention from the government as it is a reflection of the difficult living conditions prevailing in the country. An important fact to be considered in this context is the repayment of loans taken for their education since the salaries of new entrants in jobs are often very low. Both the Centre and States must initiate steps to create jobs both in the private and public sectors to alleviate the crisis.

Coimbatore

The ongoing crisis in Jet Airways is an outcome of a tussle between the stakeholders, particularly Etihad and promoter Naresh Goyal who holds majority shareholding in India's second largest flyer. This is a case of individual interest overlapping the corporate one. Now, the already stressed state-run banks are being persuaded by the government to take over Jet’s liability as it doesn’t want 23,000 employees to be out of jobs.

The Jet turmoil must be resolved by infusing capital through the foreign route, initiating a joint venture with some international flyer of repute and converting debt into equity for ensuring proper valuation. To avoid these kinds of financial crises in future, particularly in the aviation sector, a separate fund can be created that is sourced by employees, management, government and banks.

Chennai

With reference to the article ‘Is the Opposition shooting itself in the foot’ (March 21), although the Opposition parties are trying to come together to take on the BJP, they do not appear to have a common agenda. As such there is a communication gap between the various Opposition parties, which was amply proved in October 2018 during the no-confidence motion against the government. The Karnataka government is a shining example of how things will be in future in case of a fractured mandate in 2019. A Third Front coming to power will be detrimental to the economy.

Most of the Third Front parties have leaders with Prime Ministerial ambitions leading to concerns over stability. Congress party President Rahul Gandhi has failed miserably to project himself as a strong leader to take on Narendra Modi. To overthrow the BJP, the Opposition needs a strong agenda and a strong Prime Ministerial candidate, which it now lacks.

Thane

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