T N Ninan in his column “Time for elections” (Weekend ruminations, December 31) said it is time for a mid-term election to deal with the problems facing the nation. But will it make a difference to the current situation? It is time to undertake a fundamental examination of the need for a new Constitution and a second Republic based on the presidential system of government. Our founding fathers proceeded on the assumption that the Congress will always be in power, both at the Centre and in states, and formulated a Constitution that is federal in structure but unitary in spirit. The author has referred to Manmohan Singh’s unblemished record of probity and his “historic” role in salvaging the economy in the 1990s. Has he forgotten the unethical procedure Singh followed without batting an eyelid when he got himself elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam? The shocking episode that accompanied the vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha and the manner in which he handled l’affaire “uncle” Quattrocchi are matters on which the last word is not out. As for his “historic” role in the reform of the 1990s, the credit should be given to the International Monetary Fund Mission to India that indicated the terms for bailing out the country from difficulties. The Letter of Intent was prepared in Washington DC and the telltale evidence was the use of American spellings in it.
A Seshan, Mumbai
