LETTERS

India and China

The visit of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee to China has ushered in a new era of friendship between India and China ("Towards partnership", July 18).

In order to exploit this renewed partnership it is necessary that both the governments create a win-win situation, be it in the field of politics or trade. By recognising each other's territorial interests in Tibet and Sikkim, India and China have boosted their political ties. Commercially, China is a hotspot for investments, while India has to go a long way in this direction by doing away with red-tapism, poor infrastructure and corruption. Also, it needs to undertake investment-friendly economic reforms.

Siddhartha Rajguha
Jabalpur

Fake war

Praveen Swami has done an excellent job in his revealing article, "The Surinder Singh case" (June 20) and in the subsequent articles, "The spoils of Kargil war" and "Fake war" (Frontline, July 4). The depth of research provided to the general public is worth praising, leaving one wondering as to the state of the country today. What is most shocking is the fake war waged propagandistically by the Army.

The Army has not taken the trouble of issuing a denial or clarifying any issue that is raised in the articles. It leaves a dismal feeling in the heart and one can only hope that the Army will redeem itself by taking action against the generals and officers - totally revamping its system. Maybe that can bring about the much-needed motivation in the junior ranks of the Army. But, as pointed out in the article, it seems morality and justice will remain evasive again.

Harminder Kaur
Bangalore

As the wife of an Army officer who is posted on the Line of Control, I was appalled at the tone, tenor and substance of the Cover Story, "Fake war". At the end of the reading, I was not any wiser about the way Operation Sarp Vinash went. There seems little by way of clinching evidence to confirm that the Army faked the operation to gain publicity, as you have suggested.

The attack on virtually the entire top brass of our Army too is unprecedented. Blaming them for not visualising the future suggests a lack of understanding of the history of warfare. One of the foremost military maxims is "No plan survives contact" - which means leadership begins when things go wrong - you can't see everything.

Geeta K. Nair
Noida

Sarp Vinash is one of the most brilliant operations ever conducted by the Indian Army in the region, suffering minimum casualties. The Army not only recaptured the Hil Kaka peaks but also established its bases there in order to dominate the whole region.

Hil Kaka was under the occupation and control of militants for more than seven years. By capturing Hil Kaka, the Romeo Force has broken the backbone of the militants. With the deployment of the troops permanently in the region, militants will never dare to come and occupy the territory and establish their camps.

After Operation Sarp Vinash, normal life has been restored in those areas and people are heaving a sigh of relief. They are happy with the deployment of troops. We should appreciate the valour and bravery of our soldiers who are committed to defending the motherland from the enemy within and without rather than demoralise them.

Sanjay Raina
Poonch

The cover story brought out the truth behind Operation Sarp Vinash. The review of the spoils of the Kargil war is also an eye-opener. There is need for more transparency and a better system in the Army so that genuine or real heroes are honoured and no one is punished wrongly.

Perhaps an independent review of the whole Kargil war may help remove the defects, strengthen our security and reform our armed forces.

A. Jacob Sahayam
Karigiri, Tamil Nadu

Defining a great leader

I thank K. Natwar Singh for his thought-provoking ideas in the superb article "Defining a great leader". In a simple but splendid way a great man and a great leader has been defined. I am reminded of a remark made by J.B. Kripalani a few months before his death. He had lamented that in the 1950s every politician was a gentleman, in the 1960s and 1970s their numbers were fewer, and in the 1980s they were rare. Undoubtedly, now they have become the rarest of the rare.

As for good writing, I am tempted to quote Benjamin Franklin. He wrote: "If you would not be forgotten/ as soon as you are dead and rotten/ either write things worth reading/ or do things worth writing." Of course, Natwar Singh, has been doing both reading and writing things that will not be rotten or forgotten.

T.N. Tandon
Lucknow

The article is a stereotyped assessment of Indian leaders, especially of Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhiji returned to India and joined the Congress, he initiated the satyagraha movement, preaching non-violence. His non-violence was a sort of vicarious violence, that is, violence through others. All his agitations flopped. At the end of the Second World War, owing to a reduction in the administrative personnel, Britain granted freedom to all its colonies, including India and Ceylon.

K.B. Padia
Ahmedabad

The U.S.' policy

The United States has always favoured Pakistan over India in any India-Pakistan dispute. The U.S. policy seems to be: `Support Pakistan at any cost and that too in its position against India'. There is no prospect of this policy changing in the near future. So, how far can we trust the U.S. as a friendly country?

A. Srikantaiah
Bangalore

Troops for Iraq

To send or not to send its troops to Iraq is the dilemma facing the government of India. The article `Advani's crusade' (July 4), on Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani's recent visit to Washington mentions that "the major focus was on securing India's consent for the deployment of Indian troops in Iraq". Praful Bidwai is totally against any such move on moral and ethical grounds too ("Critical moment for India", July 4).

Two points concerning this issue deserve further scrutiny. First, whether America is competent to administer (post-war) Iraq until an Iraqi government is formed. In all fairness to the U.S. it must be said that it was always averse to staying long as an `occupying' power and hoisting the `stars and stripes' on foreign soil. The Japanese and the Filipinos, besides the Germans, of course, can certify to this.

If Japan enjoys the blessings of democracy today, it is in no small measure owing to the unstinting efforts of General Douglas McArthur, the American war hero who came in as a governor of `occupied Japan' and left after leaving his impress on the minds and hearts of the Japanese people. The U.S. handed over power back to the Filipinos after ruling them just for 19 years whereas, the Philippines was ruled by Spain for 400 years.

Next comes the question of stabilisation of the present `occupation'. This is raised in the context of Indian troops being required as part of `the stabilisation force'. It is hard to usher in democracy in a compressed time-frame in Iraq, which had been ruled for several years by a despotic ruler like Saddam Hussein. India, as the largest democracy and a long-standing friend of the Iraqi people, should join hands with the U.S. in this process.

Kangayan R. Rangaswamy
Madison, Wisconsin

Mass awareness

This is with reference to "Growing trust" (July 4). It is important to keep this marvellous non-government effort to build confidence between the farmers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka going. Other sections of the people of both States must also be kept informed about the effort. A mass awareness campaign with the help of organisations involved in the process to resolve the Cauvery dispute is necessary.

K. Ganesh
Virudhunagar

Position of Dalits

In the article `A shrine and a struggle' (July 4) the writer has presented a perfect picture of the position of Dalits. No matter what their religion, Dalits have had to face the wrath of both the government, in the form of lathi-wielding policemen, and upper caste people.

The article `Dalits battle in a Punjab Village' (May 9) highlights the plight of Dalit Sikhs in Talhan village at the hands of the Jat community. It mentions that "Dalit children go to school and come back to well-built homes supplied with electricity". In spite of having all those facilities and a very good economic position, Dalits are boycotted socially. This reflects the real situation of Dalits.

The people of Talhan are in the same position as their counterparts in Koothirambakkam and Melavalavu villages in Tamil Nadu, except that they are economically well-placed. But in Pappapatti and Keeripatti village panchayats (reserved seats) in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district, Dalits who contested and won local body elections were made to resign their seats.

Even economically well-placed Dalits like Mangoo Ram, who gave momentum to the Ad-dharam movement in the Doaba region of Punjab, had to live with the stigma of untouchability.

A common Dalit's position in society is precarious, particularly because most of them are unemployed and illiterate. They have to face the difficult situation without any protective shield in the form of government machinery or even political support because Dalits are a mere vote bank.

Even 55 years after Independence, the economic, educational, social and political status of a majority of Dalits remains stagnant and in many cases have even deteriorated. We still find the two-tumbler system prevailing in many villages in Tamil Nadu.

D. Karthikeyan
Coimbatore

Heatwave deaths

The number of deaths in Andhra Pradesh owing to heatwave conditions (July 4) this summer is cause for concern. It is true that governments are helpless in the face of the vagaries of nature. But these deaths reflect the depth and extent of poverty. Most of the people who died must be, in all probability, from the "no-income" group with little access to shelter, drinking water, clothing and such basic needs. Often they work for meagre wages or beg for alms under the blazing sun. These deaths speak volumes about the absence of a welfare system.

Prof. Jandhyala B.G. Tilak
New Delhi

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