Dialogue with Pakistan

This refers to ‘Bhishkek and beyond’ (June 18). The Balakot strike has had its contribution to the BJP’s handsome win in the elections. But there was little point in leveraging it at the Bishkek summit, a venue better utilised for strengthening trade in the Central Asian region. It was not very becoming of the Prime Minister to ignore the presence of his Pakistan counterpart. Post the Cuban crisis and the eyeball confrontation with the USSR, President Kennedy went ahead with a summit meeting with Khruchev. That set the stage for a historical detente. Even the mercurial Trump keeps talking with Kim of North Korea.The tone for true diplomacy is always set by a superior power to obtain a lasting outcome. We too must lead the initiative with Pakistan and leverage the power of dialogue.

Navi Mumbai

Maharsahtra farmers’ united protest against the ban of genetically modified crops looks more like a pressure tactics just ahead of the State assembly elections and with an eye on fulfilling certain other demands. The issue of PepsiCo legal tangle with Gujarat farmers on patented potato cultivation and its subsequent withdrawal too was politically motivated, sending in the process a wrong message to the farm sector. It is unfortunate that the crisis-ridden agri sector is driven mainly by political interests than scientific significance, due to which alone the GM crops were banned.

Sakaleshpur, Karnataka

The article ‘Freebies that can bring about positive change’ (June 18) argues that freebies such as free metro tickets for women and scholarships for minorities with reservations for girls are justified for the welfare of these sections of society. While such freebies may lead to some benefits for the desired sections of society, these cannot come without their share of drawbacks. Such freebies would go a long way in creating further divisions in our society, which is already fighting the divisions based on caste, region and religion. Once such divisions are created, it is very difficult to repair them. So these should best be avoided. Only the poor should have access to limited freebies, irrespective of sex, caste or religion.

Jaipur

With reference to ‘Doctors in West Bengal call off strike’(June 18), it was highly consoling to learn that the agitating junior doctors at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital (NRS) in West Bengal have finally called off their week-long stir following assurances of safety by the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

Significantly, all this came only on Monday, when a nationwide cease-work by doctors virtually crippled OPD (outpatient department) service across hospitals in the country which worrisomely involved the medical fraternity not only from key government hospitals like AIIMS, New Delhi and PGI, Chandigarh but also doctors at several prominent private hospital.

However, the moot question still remains: What could have truly prompted Mamata Banerjee’s sudden change of heart even as she had threatened stringent action against agitating doctors if they failed to resume work by 2 pm on June 13 while maintaining that outsiders were involved in the movement and pointed out that the Essential Services Maintenance Act could be imposed.

Bengaluru

This refers to ‘Modi urges MPs to work in the larger interest of the nation’ (June 18). Perhaps, this is the first time a Prime Minister is attempting to define the role of opposition in India.

In a way, we are paying the price for not cultivating a participative democratic process right from the time of Independence. The then Indian National Congress considered governance as a responsibility transferred to that party by the British. This misunderstanding led to suppression of the opposition till early 1960s. Right thing would have been to consciously allow a healthy opposition to grow in an orderly manner.

Mumbai

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