Sour taste in the mouth

Sir — Ever since Chiranjeevi launched his political party, his detractors have been accusing him of opportunism (“Tirupati gears for politics”, Aug 26). I wonder what the fuss is all about. ‘Chiru’ has said that his party will work for the aam admi’s sake, instead of promising them the moon like some of his opponents. Hopefully, the actor will keep his word and ensure an honest and transparent government if he were to win the polls. If that were to happen, the poor actor should brace himself for some more flak from his disgruntled opponents.

Yours faithfully,
M.M. Kale, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

Dark thoughts

Sir — I wish Mamata Banerjee had read the editorial, “Bengal: The Dark ages”(Aug 2), instead of spending her time practising disruptive politics. Her professed concern for Singur’s farmers is nothing but a cunning attempt to stay in the limelight. Perhaps Bengalis, with their pretentious concerns for the downtrodden, deserve a politician like her. After all, Bengal’s ‘intellectuals’ — who took to the streets after the Nandigram firing — did not protest when an engineer was assaulted at the Tata Motors plant recently. Even our ever-alert governor chose to remain silent on this occasion. If the Nano project is shelved in the face of continuous opposition from Mamata Banerjee and her party, Bengal’s dream to industrialize will be seriously impaired.

Yours faithfully,
D.K. Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — If the Trinamul Congress-led dharna succeeds in its objective, the Tatas will be forced to abort their small-car project, thereby nipping Bengal’s economic drive in the bud. Economic stagnation will mean a further loss of jobs in the state, leaving the youth of Bengal in total despair. The people of Bengal should therefore think about the Tata Motors project from a larger perspective. After all, it is our state that stands to gain if the Tatas deliver their promise of providing jobs to unemployed men and women who number in thousands in Bengal.

Yours faithfully,
Ashis Kr. Bhowmick, Calcutta

Sir — The editorial, “Bengal: The Dark Ages”, presents a lopsided view of the state of affairs in Singur. Can anyone seriously expect a land-owning farmer to hand over his most precious possession without even a murmur of protest? Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government, unfortunately, has used force to take away agricultural land instead of choosing to purchase the tracts in a phased, rational manner. The State has no business acting as a land broker. It should only limit its role to being a facilitator between land-owners and investors and ensure that farmers are paid a competitive price. Only three types of land can be considered while setting up industries: land that houses sick factories, non-arable land and single-crop territories. Fertile tracts yielding multiple-crops should never be touched. Obviously, no thought was given to these matters as the government went about acquiring land in Singur. A Stalinist drive was organized to fulfill political obligations. The consequences are now plain to see.

Yours faithfully,
Jayant Dutt, Calcutta

Sir — After Nandigram, the CPI(M) is now completed alienated from the people. Mamata Banerjee, despite her dubious political record, has thus succeeded in getting away with her campaign to stall work at the Tata plant in Singur. There is something curious about Bengal and its people: they make for excellent spoilsports. How else can one explain the fact that while other states, including late-starters like Orissa, are taking giant industrial strides, Bengal continues its journey to the dark ages.

Yours faithfully,
Samudra Gupta, Calcutta