The Indian Express

: George W. Bush’s observation on the link between consumption patterns in India and rising global food prices provoked strong criticism.

Sanjeev Prakash from New Delhi argued in a letter earlier this week (‘Middle muddle’) that Bush had his eye to domestic politics and was thus trying to deflect attention from the diversion of foodcrops in the US.

Letter of the Week

• TO be fair, George W. Bush was trying to take the political heat off the diversion of foodcrops for biofuels in the US when he mentioned rising middle class consumption in India as one of the explanations for rising food prices (‘Bush says Indian middle class fuels food prices’). But, as usual, he got the facts wrong when he quoted the size of India’s middle class. The true size of India’s middle class is the subject of much political self-congratulation and corporate research. However, despite the heated response in India to Bush’s remarks, no one seems to have remembered the role of rapidly rising obesity in the West. Bush might have done US health a great service had he mentioned chronic over-consumption and greed as a driving factor for high food prices.

Collective folly

• The opposition’s call for Anbumani Ramadoss’s resignation is illogical (‘SC scraps law Ramadoss rammed through, Venugopal back at AIIMS’, IE, May 9). The Union health minister is right in pointing out that it was Parliament that had passed the law. Therefore, the incumbent UPA should quit, or at least the head of the UPA government. The decision against Venugopal was collectively taken.

— Kedarnath R. Aiyar

Mumbai

Failed jingoists

• This refers to Kumar Ketkar’s article ‘Uncle, nephew, people’. The idea of regional cultural autonomy is an illusion in a multi-cultural state like India. Maharashtra is doing very poorly with regard to corruption, pollution, farmers’ problems and water management — especially poor drainage during the monsoon. The failure of successive Maharashtra governments on these counts is astounding. Nor has the state, and Mumbai, managed to keep the framework for sanitation developed by the British. Raj Thackeray, his MNS and the Shiv Sena should make their state livable first and then talk about Marathi culture and the problem of “outsiders”. Neither the state not its people can afford a community-centred politics of regional jingoism.

— Anirudh

Mumbai

Bright example

• The West Bengal governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi must be congratulated on voluntarily ordering the Raj Bhavan to switch off the lights (‘Lights out in Raj Bhavan, Left targets Governor). If every public figure could emulate him; it would be a good gesture. Besides, decorative lights at business houses daily and those at state ceremonies waste electricity, which could be better used. For instance, all flyovers and bridges in Chennai were decorated with serial lights during Pongal. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a direct descendent of his illustrious grandfathers Gandhiji and Rajaji, by his noble example has set a moral code that should be followed by all whether they like it or not. Amusingly, the communists, supposedly the saviours of the poor, scoff at Gandhi’s comments that the gubernatorial post, which devours a lot of public money, is a useless remnant of the raj.

— A. G. Balasubrahmanian

Chennai

editor@expressindia.com