Chip of the North Block Sir ? Shubhashis Gangopadhyay?s ?Case of pitch and toss?? (Feb 26) seems to say that Yashwant Sinha has made a laughing stock of the finance ministry since he ?never got to present a budget at the beginning of the Nineties?? and ?did a no-show when he could present one last year??. One could speculate on how Manmohan Singh and P. Chidambaram would have fared in his place. Perhaps they too would have done no better than to present a vote on account if they knew, like Sinha did in 1991, that their government?s lifespan was severely limited ? the one Sinha belonged to was supported by a Rajiv Gandhi led Congress. True, Sinha didn?t cover himself with glory with last year?s budget. But had Singh/Chidambaram been part of a fractious coalition with a wafer thin majority, they too may have acted as he did. Before dismissing Sinha as a buffoon, we ought to ponder the widely accepted theory that it was during his tenure in North Block that the blueprint for reforms was set. How else could Singh ? whose sole claim to fame till then was as a senior bureaucrat ? announce the grand revolution within weeks of taking office? Yours faithfully, Abir Bhowmik, Calcutta Importance of being Hillary Sir ? ?Clinton votes for Sen. Hillary? (Feb 17) is good news. The ordeal Hillary Clinton must have gone through ever since the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke can hardly be imagined. More so, since the United States first lady had already been through hell during the Gennifer Flowers controversy. The woman who stood by Bill Clinton ever since they met as students at Yale Law School deserves praise rather than calumny for her display of conjugal loyalty in a society as notorious for ephemeral human relationships as the US. The best proof of Hillary Clinton?s character is the fact even the most dubious of the US president?s detractors have not been able to make mud stick on her. David Brock, the ultra-conservative yet dirt tracking author of the pulp ?biography?, The Seduction of Hillary Clinton, revealed grudging respect for a woman he obviously thought is extraordinary in many respects. In an interview, he said her only crime is to have loved one man too much. So much so, he added, she was always cleaning up the mess Clinton made rather than trying to conceal her own acts of omission and commission. One hopes the US first lady does run for the US senate from New York. It is true the Republican New York mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, would prove a tough customer in what Daniel Patrick Moynihan said could turn out a ?titanic? contest. But Clinton once claimed his better half could succeed in any task, however insurmountable. After ensuring Hillary Clinton?s public humiliation courtesy his peccadilloes, the least Slick Willy could do now is let his wife chart her own independent course in peace. Giuliani is certainly a more worthy adversary for Hillary Clinton to match her wits against than the likes of Lewinsky, Flowers and Paula Jones. Yours faithfully, Ranjana Mukherjee, Calcutta Sir ? Fame has positive connotations (?I still feel warm towards Clinton, says Monica?, Feb 26). So Monica Lewinsky can hardly be described as ?one of the world?s most famous women?. Infamous would be a better word, given Lewinsky?s only claim to ?fame? is that she performed oral sex on the world?s most powerful man. From Howard Kurtz?s news report, one gets the impression the former White House intern has learnt no lessons from Monicagate. Or she would not be impetuous enough to claim Clinton?s place in her heart has now been usurped by yet another ?politician?. The girl is clearly awed by men in positions of power. One only hopes her obsession does not drive her into creating havoc in yet another marriage. Lewinsky made a telling comment in her interview with Barbara Walters. She said Clinton struggled with his sexuality while things of the flesh came naturally to her. The woman who claims to have loved Clinton does not have the sensitivity to understand that surrendering to sexual temptation would naturally be difficult for a married man who happens to hold what is perhaps the most talked about public office in the world. Yours faithfully, Ishaan Momen, Calcutta Bordering on bonhomie Sir ? Pramit Pal Chaudhuri errs in calling Simla an example of ?asymmetrical negotiations? (?Peace in context?, Feb 23). India did have advantages over Pakistan and could have settled every single Indo-Pakistani dispute on its terms at Simla. But it chose to throw in the towel because of the National Conference?s paranoia about retaining Article 370. The latter?s retention is impossible if the Kashmir issue is resolved. India?s persistent refusal of third party mediation on Kashmir qualifies its intransigence. Pakistan has won all the three India-Pakistan wars politically, its biggest victory being at Simla. The only hope from the Lahore bonhomie lies in creating a flood of confidence building measures to the point where public opinion will coerce us to implement Farooq Abdullah?s eminently pragmatic suggestion. That is, converting the present line of control in Kashmir into a fullfledged international border. India needs to mull over Chanakya?s maxim that there are no fixed boundaries in transborder relations. We have to covertly acquiesce to this truism. Consider China?s occupation of 34,000 square kilometres of Indian territory since 1962. Pal Chaudhuri?s point about legalizing Indo-Pakistani illegal trade is germane. Also, both countries must contend with the World Trade Organization?s directives. There should never be a repetition of the sordid basmati rice episode where India and Pakistan failed to join forces against United States companies over a basmati patent. Yours faithfully, Jayanta Kumar Dutt, Calcutta Sir ? Atal Behari Vajpayee?s ?bus ride diplomacy? which ended in the Lahore declaration is commendable. International relations have undergone a sea change in recent times and capitalist and communist countries have come together in order to survive. The genesis of a divided India was based on the colonial policy of divide and rule. After 51 years of independence, both countries should realize they have not gained from rivalry. Rather, the countries? progress has been hindered thanks to the costs of nuclear competition. The expressed intentions in the Lahore declaration to frame a system of nuclear restraint should therefore be followed up with as much sincerity as possible. Yours faithfully, Govinda Bakshi, Budge Budge Thoroughly unbankable Sir ? Bank work was disrupted by nine unions from February 25. While the bank employees? salaries got paid before the strike began, pensioners and others entitled to get payments through banks on the last working day of the month were inconvenienced. Under the Industrial Disputes Act, the Central government has declared the banking industry to be a public utility service. The strike was illegal and violated the settlement signed by the unions. It seems the Indian Banks Association, the Union finance ministry and politicians lack the will to protect public interest. Some steps can be taken to improve the situation. First, eight days? wage for each day of strike can be deducted under the Payment of Wages Act. Second, the unions involved can be derecognized. Third, there should be strict enforcement of the bank award according to which salaries of employees of loss making banks are to be frozen. Many employees are also against periodic strikes, but are unable to assert themselves since bank managements have surrendered their right to transfer employees to unions. Yours faithfully, M.R. Pai, Mumbai Sir ? The Centre has raised the retirement age for its employees from 58 to 60 years. To expect a person of over 58 to be consistently productive is unrealistic. The policy restricts job opportunities for the vast army of unemployed. If the government is so intent on indulging its employees, it can give them two years? salary as additional retirement benefit without raising the retirement age. Yours faithfully, Shankha Ghosh, Pubarun, Malda Letters to the editor should be sent to: The Telegraph 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street Calcutta 700 001 Email: the_telegraph_india @newscom.com Fax: 225 3240/41