Dance to their tune

Sir — An actor like Jeetandra is obviously not worried by a slight change of role (“Jeetandra jump stumps “brother”, Feb 20). But what does this switch of boats say of the politics that Jeetandra has been appointed the spokesman of? It is bad enough that we have a cinestar, once dancing around trees, chasing heroines and denying the income tax department of millions of rupees, telling people to choose between aman chain (harmony and peace) and bijli (electricity) if they wanted another tha thaiya (a dance number from his film) from him and his co-star Jayaprada. It is even worse when he jumps the gun for a prized land in Indore or, as suspected, an extension for the teleserial his daughter has been producing. It is opportunism taken to exalted heights. The jumping Jack Jeetandra represents the crassness of Indian politics which is now entirely showbiz running for the “entertainment” of a billion hungry Indians at the price of their welfare.

Yours faithfully,
J. Acharya, Calcuta

Look inside

Sir — I fully concur with Sanjib Baruah’s argument in “Fresh hope rises in the east” (Feb 9), where he sensibly argues for converting North-east India and beyond into India’s profitable geo-economic region. This apart, we need to capitalize on the outcome of two important visits last year — one, by the prime minister to China, and two, that of the vice-president, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, to Myanmar. This is the right moment for India to initiate the formation of a geo-strategic triad consisting of India, China and Myanmar that will become the rostrum for the eventual creation of a third global power centre after the United Nations and the European Union. An Indian Ocean Treaty, which takes into account all issues of this exclusive waterway, will be an essential constituent of this power centre. India’s status as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum requires to be maximized for furthering our interests in east Asia, including the Pacific Ocean periphery. India has always harped on the desirability of a multi-polar world. The political ambience in Asia is just right for it to start a movement for achieving this objective.

Yours faithfully,
Jayanta Kumar Dutt, Calcutta

Sir — It is all very well to think of using the North-east for the economic benefit of India. Till now, the region has been variously used by successive governments, whether to mend relations with its neighbours (Bangladesh for example) or for its own prosperity (the tea and petroleum story). The North-east has to be given a thought for its own sake now. Sanjib Baruah’s suggestion that the North-east can serve as a springboard for maximizing India’s regional importance may be inspiring, but first the North-east has to be at peace with itself and the rest of the country.

Yours faithfully,
N. Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir — The report, “Army set to usher militancy end” (Feb 5) proves that the Central government continues to see the United Liberation Front of Asom as a military problem. But military operations have been unable to do away with insurgency. Operation Bajrang, secret killings, and even the recent Operation All Clear launched under the aegis of the Bhutan army, could not do much to the ULFA. During the recent operation, a majority of the people, irrespective of their ideological differences, demanded that the problem be settled on the negotiation table. This proves that the ULFA still has mass support. Hence the media’s assertion that the organization is carrying out a “hopeless rebellion” needs to be qualified. The factors that had led to the birth of the ULFA are still there — lack of employment, under-development and poverty. The government’s reluctance to talk to the ULFA is strange, especially when it is talking to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim in a different country.

Yours faithfully,
Kulen Chandra Das, via email

Sir — With regard to the report, “Budget cut rankles, NEC blames Delhi” (Feb 17), it needs to be pointed out that the Centre has already clarified that development work would not suffer due to the budget cut because there are sufficient funds in the North Eastern Council pool to carry on with the projects.

The council officers are in a tizzy perhaps because they feel a trimming down of the allocation of funds will mean less share for them in the loot. The nexus between council officials and the Assam government is well known. Why blame the Centre when, so far, development funds have hardly reached the grassroots level and the council’s record in development has been abysmal?

Yours faithfully,
Rahul Choudhury, Guwahati

Showbiz

Sir — The Sahara wedding raises serious questions about the group’s activities. It is known to have started business with some kind of chit-fund before diversifying into the airlines and the media. Both are highly competitive areas. Sahara is neither a popular airline nor is their media enterprise very successful. Then how is it that crores of rupees get to be spent on a wedding? I am sure the so called business tycoon, Subrata Roy, will use the presence of VVIPs at his sons’ weddings as a sort of endorsement of his business empire and exploit the publicity for the new financial businesses he is entering in.

Yours faithfully,
Jaydeep Bhattacharjee, Chennai

Sir — In the past, Subrata Roy has masqueraded as someone with social causes close to his heart. Yet this sickening display of wealth belies his posturings. Couldn’t the money have been spent on charity?

Yours faithfully,
Udita Agrawal, Delhi