Rafale ghost is back
With the new revelations made by the French investigative portal, Mediapart, of kickbacks in the Rafale deal, one only wishes that the Supreme Court of India which had earlier given a clean chit to the deal reopens the case and orders a thorough investigation. This is very much required in view of the huge amount of tax payers’ money involved and, more importantly, national security and the interests of the defence forces.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
There is clearly a lack of transparency in defence deals, and in India, various investigative agencies are puppets in the hands of governments. While the Congress ought to have cancelled the deal in full, the BJP has not cleared doubts raised by the Opposition about the cost structure of the deal which only escalated. The Government has also not made it clear how the choice of certain private entities was made in connection with the various offset deals. It remains to be seen what action can be taken against the French company and high profile businessmen alleged to have been a part of the chain of kickbacks.
Janga Bahadur Sunuwar,
Bagrakote, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
Jai Bhim ’s message
The movie, Jai Bhim , has rightly attracted a lot of appreciation. A movie is one which moves people and Jai Bhim falls within that exception. It is not a commercial venture. Second, it carries a strong message about the conditions of the deprived sections of society and the atrocities perpetrated on them by those in power.
More than anything else, it conforms to the real story of a socially committed lawyer, a stellar judge and an upright police officer who combined to take the case to its logical conclusion. Conforming to this story, the director and the actors have all played remarkable roles close to reality. The movie presents the positive role played by the lawyer, judge and the police officer but the ground reality is oftentimes different. Unless people draw inspiration from the movie in that spirit, it would just remain entertainment which it ought not to be.
But beyond all this, one should not fail to see that democratic organisations and progressive-minded political parties had made an indelible impression enabling the lawyer to conduct the case with deep social commitment. It is such grassroots-level organisations that have to be fostered and strengthened. Therein lies the success of a society.
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
On the ground
Finding fault frequently, without rhyme or reason, and hurling barbs are a part and parcel of politics, especially in Tamil Nadu. The newest round now is over the management of flooding in Tamil Nadu and Chennai city and the “measures that the AIADMK and the DMK have undertaken”. Going by reports and visuals, it appears that the ruling party in Tamil Nadu is trying to alleviate the suffering of the downtrodden. The Chief Minister has been seen almost everywhere. However, for the long term, there needs to be a world-class storm water drainage system in place.
Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai
