THE Sri Lankan militarys breakthrough will lessen the scale of violence inside the northern region but will not end the ethnic conflict until a genuine political solution is found by the government with the consent and participation of Tamils (Cover Story, February 27). The LTTE must realise its strategic limitations and should move towards a political solution of the problem.
Atul Thakur Ghaziabad, U.PWITH defeat staring it in the face, the LTTE has only two options surrender to the Sri Lankan military or continue with the ignominious war. Otherwise, it will become a non-entity in Sri Lankan politics. The real issues are mainly political and not racial. It is better to have a federal form of government with devolution of powers to predominantly Tamil provinces. The Tamils should choose a leader to respresent them in government.
A.S. Raj BangaloreINDIA had helped Colombo create a Tamil province within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution but LTTE leader V. Prabakaran was not satisfied with it. He wanted an independent Tamil Eelam.
The present plight of the LTTE is one of its own making. It eliminated Tamil leaders who were for Eelam because they opposed its tactics. And the moment it killed Rajiv Gandhi, it lost international sympathy.
India should not interfere in Sri Lankas internal matters to appease politicians in Tamil Nadu. It can help Sri Lankan Tamil civilians through the United Nations.
After the LTTE, what next? The Tamils should join either Col. Karunas party or President Rajapaksas party and struggle for more rights. They should also discard their dream of an independent Tamil Eelam.
S. Raghunatha Prabhu Alappuzha, KeralaMoral policeWHEN many homes continue to be destroyed by men who are addicted to alcohol and drugs, it is surprising that activists of the Sri Rama Sene target only women pub goers (Taliban in saffron, February 27). Their violence in the name of safeguarding Indian culture and traditional values cannot be accepted by any civilised society.
K.R. Srinivasan SecunderabadGalileoTHIS has reference to the article on Galileo and his telescope (Heretic to hero, February 27).
Galileo published his book The Starry Messenger in March 1610, which paved way for the modern astronomy. His observations of the night sky using a telescope led to the discarding of the earth-centred Ptolemaic model of the universe and opened the way for the adoption of the sun-centred heliocentric model of the solar system, originally proposed by Copernicus in 1543.
Thanks to the first steps taken by Galileo, we are now able to study exoplanets that are 1,300 crore light years away.
T.V. Jayaprakash Palakkad, KeralaElection CommissionI DISAGREE with the view that the recommendation of Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami for the removal of his colleague Navin Chawla was arbitrary and constitutionally and democratically out of line (Debate on propriety, February 27). Although the CEC has no administrative or disciplinary powers over his colleagues, what would happen if an Election Commissioner functions in a biased, partisan and prejudicial manner that would sully the stature and reputation of the Commission?
Should the CEC remain a mute spectator until he receives a reference from the executive? This grey area needs due consideration.
The controversy has drawn our attention to the process of appointment of Election Commissioners at the Central and State levels. Now the choices are made by the rulers from among senior bureaucrats who are close to them. It is high time the appointment process was made more broad-based and transparent.
Hemant Kumar Ambala, HaryanaPublic healthJAYATI GHOSHs column Failing Health was a timely reminder of the tasks ahead in the much neglected social sector of India (February 27). The salient points that the author cited from the report of the Independent Commission on Development and Health in India (ICDHI) point to the sad state of the governments health agenda itself. The National Rural Health Mission (2005-2012) document admitted that the budgetary allocation for health declined from 1.3 per cent of the GDP in 1990 to 0.9 per cent of the GDP in 1999. The striking regional imbalances that Jayati Ghosh refers to has also been acknowledged in the mission document.
The ideals of the NRHM are noble but everything depends on dedicated implementation of the mission. The UPA government had committed itself to spending 3-4 per cent of the GDP on public health and this area is on the list of its failures.
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