This refers to the front-page news report “Now, Obama says India must reform” (July 16). US President Barack Obama has gone overboard on offering prescriptions for the Indian economy. India has its compulsions and requirements and we cannot follow the dictates of other countries. It’s clear that Obama’s remarks have more to do with the US presidential elections, and less with India’s investment climate. Indian politicians and political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties, have rightly denounced Obama’s assertions.
On the issue of Kashmir, Obama’s observation that it is up to the two countries (India and Pakistan) to resolve their bilateral matters is in accordance with the Indian government’s stand. But it is not enough for the US to advocate India to keep the Indo-Pak dialogue on track. It must tell Pakistan, in no uncertain terms, that it should take military action against terror outfits on its soil. India has been consistently opposing the US’ economic aid to Pakistan but has failed to elicit response. Why has the US not humoured India’s demand to stop its military and economic aid to Pakistan?
K V Seetharamaiah Hassan (Karnataka)
...or a strategy?
The views expressed by US President Barack Obama should not be viewed in isolation but as a “strategy” of the US government and business houses that can be traced to the Standard & Poor’s outlook downgrade and the Time cover-story on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Whether it is economic policy or global warming, the US has been practising double standards and protectionism. It has strict carbon-reduction norms for developing nations when it one of the largest emitters of carbon-dioxide emissions. If Obama is earnest about India’s growth, why is the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation treaty still a non-starter?
N Ramamurthy Chennai
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