Letters to the Editor

FDI decision

The Union Government recently allowed overseas investors to make 100 per cent FDI (foreign direct investment) in single-brand retail trading and construction development without any government approval.

The decision will promote and ease doing business in the country and contribute to increase in income and employment. Additiolly, it will help in strengthening the value of the rupee against global currencies.

FDI in construction is expected to provide a significant boost to the real estate sector.

The government's ambitions projects like ‘Housing for All by 2022’ and ‘Construction of 100 Smart Cities’ will also flourish owing to the substantial participation by foreign investors. This is a step in the right direction to meet most of the industry demands, which will propel the growth of the realty sector.

Satish Kumar Sarma,

Kalyanpur, Biswath Chariali.

Ideal of Ahimsa

Mahatma Gandhi once remarked ‘‘Recall the face of the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? Will it lead to 'swaraj' for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?’’

It is high time that the concerned authorities should ask themselves whether bullet trains, public exhibition of as persol thing such as yoga at State's expense, erection of ‘‘world's most gigantic statue’’, ‘‘rediscovering the stream of mythical Saraswati’’ or coming up with Ramaya Museum will serve minimum utility in the wretched life of the weakest man or restore him to a control over his own life and destiny!

Can these ‘‘tiolist’’ steps apply minimum balm to the burning hunger of starving millions? Had Gandhi been alive, would he have endorsed such extravagant policies?

Mahatma Gandhi, an ardent follower of Lord Ram, never misused the me of the epic hero to inflict anxiety and pain on the minorities. Yet in the very country of this secular humanitarian, a certain section feels no qualms in barbarically exploiting the noble me of the epic hero to raise commul passions so as to reap cheap electoral dividend! Not to forget the cold-blooded murder of innocents in the me of ‘Gomata’ and infringement on dietary habits of certain communities.

Moreover, the Indian polity is scandalously being fragmented on the lines of religion, caste and language. Though the politicians are engaged in such dirty game, but it must also be remembered that they are merely exploiting the fissures that lie deeply embedded within the society.

Mahatma Gandhi is certainly a man to be proud of, but Indians simply hold no moral right to pay glowing tributes to him. Reality has proved that Indians are eminently capable of desecrating his ideal of Ahimsa as seen right from violent agitation in the me of reservation, political clashes, ‘‘honour killings’’, Dalit lynching, sexual atrocities on fairer sex to cowardly ‘‘mob justice’’ on the streets.

Thus, instead of merely garlanding the Mahatma's portrait and statue on his death anniversary or enjoying a leisurely holiday in the me of birth anniversary of the ‘Father of the tion’, it is high time the State and the people introspect a little and try to follow Gandhian principles before singing paeans (actually mere lip service) of the Apostle of Peace.

Kajal Chatterjee,

D-2/403 Peerless gar,

Kolkata-114.