New faces

Sir — The seemingly minor cabinet reshuffle was actually very significant (“Mr Clean for scam-prone defence”, Oct 25). Pranab Mukherjee is a wise choice for the external affairs minister since the job requires a combination of political shrewdness and business acumen these days. The external affairs minister has to address numerous global business fora and ensure that foreign investments come to the country. The change may also be looked upon as a promotion for Mukherjee and an acknowledgment of his shrewdness.

On the other hand, given the scam-prone nature of the defence ministry, it needed a minister of taint-free reputation such as A.K. Antony. True, Antony does not have the experience needed for running a ministry as important as defence. But it is never too late to learn.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir — Prompted by the need for a minister with a clean image in defence, A.K. Antony has been given that ministry, while Pranab Mukherjee has been shifted to external affairs (“At last”, Oct 26). Such cabinet reshuffles depend on fluctuating criteria and the newcomer to a ministry need not boast mastery of the field. Fifteen years ago, when he was not so seasoned, Mukherjee had held the same post. Obviously, national interest gets a low priority in the permutations effected to keep the government afloat for its full term. The United Progressive Alliance is keen to invest in so-called clean politicians, keeping in mind the coming assembly elections in several states. By contrast, the National Democratic Alliance had given the finance ministry to Yashwant Sinha since he had been an experienced bureaucrat. Professionals, and not the politician at the helm, determine the performance of a ministry. By that logic, a career diplomat like Shashi Tharoor would have been the best choice for the external affairs ministry, especially in the context of the Indo-US nuclear deal. However, the prime minister cannot induct such a young and dynamic individual into his cabinet since nobody is allowed to go so far in the Congress without proving his loyalty to the Gandhi dynasty.

Yours faithfully,
S. Mukherjee, Burdwan

Sir — The re-induction of the tainted minister, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, in the Union cabinet points at Lalu Prasad’s blackmail of the prime minister. The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief is exploiting coalition politics to further his party’s interests. Such blackmailing can be checked by electing ministers, including the prime minister, through a secret and compulsory ballot involving all members of the Lok Sabha. Such an elected leader may be removed only by the same process, but the lower house of the parliament must name a successor by the same motion. Besides, only non-parliamentarians, who have not contested an election for the past year, should become ministers, leaving popularly elected representatives to take better care of their constituencies. The establishment will save much of its resources by appointing experts and advisors as ministers. This will also allow the size of the ministry to be reduced to a tenth of that of the Lok Sabha as was originally recommended by the Administrative Reform Commission.

Yours faithfully,
Madhu Agrawal, Dariba, Delhi

Sir — After assuming charge, the new external affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said that it was desirable that India and Pakistan live in peace and in a tension-free atmosphere. But it sounded rather hollow. There cannot be peace between the two countries till the Kashmir problem is solved. Politicians and diplomats of both countries must have a sincere and honest exchange of views. It is important to remember Pakistan’s own insistence that peace with India is meaningless until the Kashmir issue is resolved. If this one problem can be sorted out, Pakistan will stop helping terrorists and India’s huge expenditure on defence and security can be reduced. Moreover, thousands of lives can be saved. Without the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the Lahore Declaration has no value. It is time both governments moved on with life. As the external affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee should make this happen.

Yours faithfully,
B.K. Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir — The new defence minister will have his hands full trying to restore the balance and the morale of the armed forces and his discredited ministry. A.K. Antony must, first of all, appoint a single chief for the defence services to ensure unity of command and an integrated approach to defence issues. Second, regardless of the kickback scams, India must modernize and upgrade the services by investing heavily in technology and discarding obsolete equipment. Third, the three forces need to standardize and centralize their inventory of weapons. Also, defence research must emphasize indigenous production of weapons to gain self-sufficiency in the long run. Fourth, the police and the paramilitary forces should be equipped to fight terrorism and insurgency. The army has bigger responsibilities than fighting small insurgent groups. Finally, the service conditions and remunerations of the armed forces must improve substantially. It is not too late to include one retired general as a member of the sixth pay commission. The pension of retired military personnel should also be augmented. This is a tall order, and Antony does not have any experience of the defence establishment. Still, as a newcomer, he might bring zeal and enthusiasm to his job.

Yours faithfully,
Raghubir Singh, Pune