Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Manmohan's praise

The praise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showered on the British system of governance at Oxford was uncalled for. The British came to India to do business, not to give us good governance. They brought the system to serve their purpose, to exploit the resources that were in plenty. I would like to compare the Raj with the Dhabol power project. After all the legal tussle, if Enron leaves India and we get the plant to run, would we praise Enron for establishing such a power plant?

Prithvi Raj,
Anand, Gujarat

Railways were laid so that our country could be fully exploited; the steel frame of the administration was meant to keep the country under colonial grip; the country was drained of its wealth; indigenous industries were destroyed so that British industries could prosper; education was meant to create a loyal class of babus who, as Lord Canning said, "looked Indian by face but were British by taste;" ICS exams were held in London until 1927 so that Britons would have an edge; and history books were distorted by including a chapter on British legacy. Democracy was not a British legacy — it has been in vogue since the time of Cholas and rule of law has been there since time immemorial.

Abhishek Tiwari,
Jabalpur, M.P.

Had the British spent even half of what they spent on railways on irrigation, people would have benefited. As for the modern liberal education, the authorities inculcated notions of docility and servility to foreign rule.

M. Vivek,
Tiruchi, T.N.

Is it anyone's contention that India would have remained indefinitely where it was in the mid-18th century had the British not set foot in the country?

C.B. Dyuthikar,
Bangalore

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