Facebook Pixel Code

Letters to the editor: Gas price hike

The hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and gas is the first but not yet parting ?gift? of the UPA government

The hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and gas is the first but not yet parting ?gift? of the UPA government. The increase in prices of the above items excluding VAT would have cascading effect on the prices of other essential commodities, transportation cost, etc. It would further fuel inflation. The rise in prices of essential commodities and services is not accompanied by rise in income commensurate with the growing expenditure on daily household needs. Government employees are an exceptional lot since dearness allowance is given half-yearly to meet the expenditure to some extent. Middle-class people are largely affected. People must urge for the roll-back of prices. Frequent increase in prices of essential commodities and services turns the heat on the common man.

Krishnapur V Seetharamaiah

Hassan (Karnataka)

A new beginning

The recent swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP team at the historic Ramlila Maidan in the capital was a different affair in the sense that there seemed in his voice that burning desire to serve the society with absolute dedication. The manner in which Arvind Kejriwal addressed the massive crowd?that was nothing but a sea of humanity?reiterating his poll promises of ensuring a corruption-free India and providing clean and transparent governance was quite different from what we are used to. Here is a man who is interested in the development of the country and its masses. Here, Shekhar Gupta’s last week’s column ?AAP vs VIP? (FE, January 6) comes to mind. No doubt, the road ahead for the AAP can turn out to be bumpier than expected and there may be a lot of blockades, yet the AAP must perform its best in order to emerge stronger. A couple of weeks into power, now is the time to get to the business of governance.

Srinivasan Umashankar

Nagpur

Chalk and cheese

A while ago a column appeared in The Financial Express called ?AAP ki Tea Party?. While I missed reading it that time, it became a topic of discussion, at least in my peer group. What we have figured out is that there is a basic difference in the Tea Party and the Aam Aadmi movement. The former was driven by undiluted extreme right wing ethos and the latter was more akin to rudimentary flavour of a French revolution against an entrenched power elite. So long we had a vociferous Left with reasonable clout, the common man’s angst had been finding a regular outlet. But then three decades of indifferent governance by the CPI(M) and a faltering economy had to find a renewed expression, set the stage for a political moulding of sorts. Anna happened to stir the embers and the AAP was able to reignite a dormant fire. The Tea party has a limited target of ending the Obama liberalism and would fade away once that is achieved one way or the other. The AAP is still less of a party than a movement. If other parties disregard its possible political import, the AAP will gather steam as a regular party for a long innings.

Janaki Narayanan, Ghaziabad

Get live Share Market updates, Stock Market Quotes, and the latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the latest finance news.

First published on: 13-01-2014 at 03:30 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×