Mr. Modi faces an uphill task on the economic front with a multitude of challenges that could threaten his new government (“ >A full plate for Modi ,” May 26). Bringing about a turnaround in the economy is not going to be easy. The predominant reason for the huge defeat suffered by the Congress party can be attributed to the party’s inability to contain prices and food inflation. There is an urgent imperative to stop the splurging on the subsidy front. The BJP government needs to revisit the issue of fuel and cooking gas subsidy. The agricultural supply chain deserves a fillip with an emphasis on modern food preservation techniques and expanded cold chain facilities. Public sector banks should be adequately recapitalised to meet the norms. The government needs to take strong action in the recovery of bad loans which threaten to destroy the banking industry. Crony capitalism is largely responsible for this.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi
In this context, it is good to recollect Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech on August 15, 1999 at Red Fort, where he said: “I have a vision of India: an India free of hunger and fear, an India free of illiteracy and want. I dream of an India that is prosperous, strong and caring. An India, that regains a place of honour in the comity of great nations.” Let us exhibit confidence that Mr. Modi will bring new-found strength to his party and solve our problems.
A.J. Rangarajan,
Chennai
