Political alternative?
We do not need to read too much into the somewhat lukewarm response of many Opposition parties to the Rashtra Manch meeting to explore the possibility of forging broad Opposition unity to take on the BJP (Page 1, June 23). Even though some parties skipped the meeting and some others sent their second rung leaders, they all have a stake in putting up a united political front against the ruling party. And, they seem to realise it. The Opposition parties should be sensible of the fact that they risk losing their relevance by splitting the secular and social justice vote. But the Opposition parties have a daunting task at hand; they have to convince the people that they will provide a better government. The failure of the Modi government to carry through its promises of bringing about Vikas and ‘Achhe din aane waale hain’, and its inept and callous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have chipped away at the popularity of the top leader.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
It is not surprising that the grand meeting turned out to be damp squib. There are inherent reasons for this. Though an anti-Modi glue has brought the anti-BJP parties together, just as in the past with such political experiments, it is egoistic clashes by the leaders of regional outfits that come in the way of projecting solutions to the wide array of pressing contemporary issues. Until this factor is sorted out, such experiments are destined to fail miserably even as the image of the Narendra Modi-led government has taken a hit.
Jayashree Thampi,
Thiruvananthapuram
Bank deposit returns
With bank deposit interest rates not covering even the inflation rate, this is eroding the savings of senior citizens and others who do not have any fixed income by way of governmental pension support. Gone are the days when such strata made both ends meet from interest income. The rosy pictures of increased deposits in the banking system are linked to five banks which enjoy the privilege of institutional deposits, mostly from government departments.
Though it is a global challenge for all economies to make a semblance in interest rates on deposits and advance to spur industrial growth and employment, the scales are tilted more in favour of borrowers than depositors. The recovery of NPAs has to be streamlined.
Brij Bhushan Goyal,
Ludhiana, Punjab
Kenneth Kaunda
It is a shock that many media outlets in India did not have even a short note, let alone a detailed obituary, on the demise of Kenneth Kaunda, the first President of independent Zambia. Mr. Kaunda was a close friend of India and took great inspiration from India’s freedom struggle to fight for his country’s freedom from Britain.
It is a sign of the drift in media policies that a great African statesman and anti-colonialist was deemed not worthy of a mention on his passing.
Sanjay Reddy,
Bengaluru
As a reader of a number of dailies for over 40 years, I find it jarring that the Indian media has forgotten Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s founding President, who played a key role in supporting African nationalism. Controversy can be found in his rule, but by and large, he was an icon in Africa. If one can think of African statesmen, Kenneth Kaunda and Julius Nyerere would feature in the list. What is the legacy of Mr. Kaunda, a humanist who was noted for his spotless white handkerchiefs, hymn singing and even crying in public? He may have been ruthless at times, but he was able to ensure a unified Zambia for much of his rule. He left his mark in terms of infrastructure and enabling universal health and education. Finally, he was also a good friend of India.
G. Subramaniam,
New Delhi
