PICTURE SPEAK

"Young MPs: Wasted Talent", February 26, 2007

Stifling Them Young

It is a shame that aged politicians are ruling a country whose population is predominantly young ("Non-Performing Assets", February 26). All the 28 young MPs were roped in to woo voters and then sent to cold storage. They will end up losing their enthusiasm if their talent is not tapped in time.

K. Chidanand Kumar, Bangalore

A majority of our young MPs are children of political heavyweights. They have to prove their own merits by initiating debates in Parliament.

Man Mohan Bhatia, Delhi

I am upset with Priya Dutt being awarded an 'average' rating. Her ability to relate to women and youngsters in her constituency is worth appreciating.
Daniel Francis, Mumbai

We had pinned our hopes on the youngsters, but their performance has been inadequate. India needs performers and reformers to bring about a revolution to root out the maladies plaguing the country.

K.S. Thampi, Chennai

It is sad that Karnataka's Tejaswini Seeramesh has joined the list of 'non-performing assets'. I had hoped that this firebrand TV anchor, who defeated Deve Gowda, would be as efficient in Parliament as she was on TV.

M.S. Sharada prasad, Bangalore

These youngsters are totally oblivious to grassroot situations. They must interact with people at all levels before actively entering politics. Merely inducting young blood into the political scenario means nothing to the common man and to the country.

K.V. Raghuram, Wayanad

When these 28 young MPs were inducted in Parliament, the media proclaimed that it was the beginning of a new era. Their progress has been stunted by older MPs, who are busy fending off prospective competition.

S.S. Ramanatha Rao, Bangalore

When Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister, he used to invite leaders from the Opposition, such as Naushir Bharucha and Hiren Mukherjee, to present their views on important matters. The suppression of democratic voice started with Indira Gandhi and is continuing.

G.M. Rama Rao, Visakhapatnam

It is comforting that these young MPs are regarded as 'assets'. We can only hope that they play a positive role in parliamentary decision-making and change the future of the country.

S. Balakrishnan, Jamshedpur

The lacklustre performance of the young MP bandwagon is due to the extreme obsession of older politicians with the power they enjoy. Introduction of an early retirement age in politics should help.

Mehnaaz Manawar, Cuttack

I do not understand why anyone should expect these MPs to deliver. They are qualified to be managers in multinational companies, but not to run the affairs of the nation. For them, being an MP is just an inheritance and has nothing to do with leadership qualities.

Subhash Gupta, Jammu

Khan Rules

It's wonderful to watch the badshah on Kaun Banega Crorepati ("50:50", February 26). Shah Rukh Khan does not let the audience feel the absence of Amitabh Bachchan. With his loquaciousness and his natty charisma, he is definitely out to tilt the scales in his favour.

Parth Jethwani, on e-mail

Shah Rukh has proved his critics wrong by hosting the show with charm and poise. His approachability is disarming and puts the participants at ease. All comparisons with Bachchan should stop now-they are different and entertaining in their own way.

Ranjana Manchanda, on e-mail

Don't Land Us In Trouble

The land offered to Tata in Singur has been reduced to a political issue ("Small Car Big Trouble", February 26). The so-called well-wishers of the farmers, who don't feel guilty hindering the process of economic development, should cooperate with the Government on this issue.

Mahesh Kumar, Delhi

Mamata Banerjee is not doing justice to the people of West Bengal, whom she claims to care for. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's bold initiative to support industrialisation is truly admirable. After all, development is important in a Third World country.

Danendra Jain, on e-mail

India Inc's Best Buys

India Inc is on a shopping spree, picking up major companies from around the world ("The Global Alchemist", February 26). Indian industrialists are finally taking risks-something that once seemed unthinkable. However, they are not reckless. Months of hard work, negotiations and careful investigation went into each of the big international deals that have been signed lately.

J. Akshay, Secunderabad

Rite and Wrong

In an effort to deny the performance of a puja by his family members, Kerala's Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has dug up the sad truth of his not having performed his mother's last rites ("God's Own Comrade", February 26).

S. Lakshmi, on e-mail

Masterful Plan

The Congress's master plan 2021 for Delhi is an effort to hijack the forthcoming municipal elections in the Capital ("Delhi Goes Vertical", February 26). If the authorities were really practical and sympathetic to those being unduly affected by sealings or demolitions, unethical practices like regularising shops in DDA flats or mass regularisation of unapproved colonies would not have been allowed.

Madhu Agrawal, Delhi

Delhi's 'master plan' is in fact a manipulated political document. Chaos and infrastructural problems will surely make the city an urban hell.

S.K. Gupta, Delhi

"Seasoned politicians are turning budding parliamentarians into meek listeners and spoiling the future of the country, which rests on their young shoulders."

Ambika S. Mishra, Bhubaneswar

YOUTH REDEFINED

The MTV generation of our country prefers living life king size with panache ("Home and Happy", February 19). They need to be given carte blanche and proper channels to bring out their positive assertiveness.

S. Shuja Rahman, Patna

The conclusions of your youth survey, based on a narrow sample size, are absurd. A majority of India's youth are caught in the quagmire of illiteracy and poverty.

Yuimiva, on e-mail

Two notable changes among the youth are very positive and heartening. Youngsters enjoy being at home; and they are reinventing their relationships with their family

Prakash F. Madhwani, Bangalore

Years Ago in India Today
MARCH 1-15,1977

The Combustible Force

Ambika Soni, 36, MP and president of the Indian Youth Congress, at first glance looks more a city sophisticate than a hard-nosed politician, and by conventional standards, ideally suited for being the wife of a career diplomat. Instead, her meteoric rise in Indian politics still keeps political pundits guessing. Always a vocal and powerful speaker, she was influenced by Castro's youth-mobilising drive in Havana, where she spent four years with her husband. "I wish people wouldn't regard the Youth Congress as a mere stunt," she says. About her own role in the Youth Congress, Soni says, "I don't think I am indispensable. I don't consider myself a champion of the youth, but I have a basic faith in young people. Revolutions anywhere have emanated from young people. You cannot ignore this huge combustible force."

-by Sunil Sethi