Crucial for affordable health care (Organiser, 1.7.2012); The July 10 case in the Supreme Court by Novartis reminds one of the movie horror of Dracula that sucked human blood. Novartis by tinkering few molecules in the old drug of blood cancer patients world over wants to sell it at astronomical price and so kill 90 per cent of the existing patients and all future patients due to such price hike. Entire world is watching the case with baited breath for the outcome. All alopathic drugs have side effects and the old drug being time tested one should be allowed to manufacture despite the tinkered new drug and supplied in it generic form. The Novartis may sell the new drug at a marginally increased price after justifying the cost exclation due to R&D and costing. In view of its demand they may also go for differential pricing i.e., one generic and other special, for profitability. They should not be given patent for frivolous reasons and give price shock to the bedridden and half dead patients world over. In view of the world opinion against the litigation Novartis should withdraw the case and show their human face to the sick by avoiding further torture. Drugs should not be used as a means for exploitation by the big and mighty.
Venkatagiri, Sakaranagar, Bengaluru
Parliament should fully reflect working class sentiments (Organiser, 24.6.2012); A voice from every corner is being raised that by speeding up economic reforms India’s economy can be protected. It is argued that economic reforms such as opening banks and insurance sectors to foreign agencies, entrance of private management in pension funds, Foreign Direct Investment in retail market can solve the present economic crisis. I feel time has come to review the economic reforms done in our country during the last twenty years. Have we been able to control price hike, overcome illiteracy, improve health conditions, public distribution system, stop suicides by farmers or procure right price for their crops. The answer is big ‘NO’. But nothing has gone out of hand. We can still challenge the crisis if we honestly work with an intention to improve the situation. We can conscious our people by keeping in mind the present crisis as a challenge before us. At the time of Indo-Pak War in 1965 the then prime minister declared “we can keep ourselves hungry, we may grow crops on our roofs but we cannot bow before America.” In 1971 Smt Indira Gandhi boycotted dinner with American President and challenged the world power. Now it is a question before the present Indian Government, if it accepts the economic crisis as a challenge and takes initiative by keeping India’s self-esteem high, deteriorating economic condition can be improved, commodity price hike will be controlled, devaluation of rupee can be checked and employment problem can be solved.
Pawan Kumar, Zonal Organising Secretary, BMS
Exposing the Pak perfidy (Organiser, 8.7.2012); The arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative best known as Abu Jundal, (the man who handled the 26/11 Mumbai attack from a Karachi control room) with the help of the US and Saudi Arabia, Islamabad’s closest allies is a big success and an indication that the international community is increasingly isolating Pakistan. It is heartening to see that growing ties between India and Saudi Arabia. Given the fast moving nature of the global terrorist threat, the two nations should engage in intelligence sharing and work in tandem to stop all terror activities taking place. India should be thankful to the US and Saudi Arabia for their efforts in getting Jundal arrested as well as not giving in to Pakistan’s objections to his deportation. Hopefully, the arrest will go a long way towards exposing the role of Pakistani state actors in the Mumbai terror attack.
RITHA SAGAR, Chennai
Subversion of India by its rulers (Organiser, 27.5.2012); This refers to the article ‘Subversion of India by its rulers’ by Dr Gautam Sen in Organiser. He has stated that “West Bengal State Government” and “West Bengal’s largest political parties” turn blind eye to anti-national and anti-Hindu acts by Muslims, as they are “on payroll of Muslim organisations and mosques in receipt of official Saudi-Pakistani funding….” He has also stated, that “they refuse to react to attacks on Hindus in West Bengal, which informed observers estimate, exceed 30,000 each month. In this respect I would like to say that West Bengal State government and largest ruling political parties are faithfully following Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, etc., with Mahatma Gandhi as the biggest and leading offender. It is worth noting, that Mahatma Gandhi was not on payroll of Muslim organisation, still he ignored the mass slaughter of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan, and immediately reacted, when there was minor trouble to the Muslims in India. Gandhi was a doing selfless service to the criminals, because they were Muslims. Gandhi perverted the teachings of Gita, which he so often talked to befool the Hindus, and rendered selfless service to criminals, rather than victims—the Hindus. Thus Mahatma Gandhi was much bigger offender, than West Bengal government and political parties.
ANAND PRAKASH, 72/Sector-8, Panchkula-134 109
Pity those who voted the UPA (Organiser, 3.6.2012); While presenting the UPA-II’s report Manmohan Singh claimed that the Indian economy is in a good shape and poverty figures have gone down under the Congress led coalition’s rule. On the other hand it is withdrawing subsidies on fuel prices. Prices of essential commodities shoots up every time the government revises the prices of petrol. The UPA government blames the devolution of the rupee against the dollar for the recent hike in petrol prices. But can they promise a rollback if the rupee gets stronger once again. It appears the Centre is milking the aam aadmi to keep the oil firms profitable. People want to know the exact reason for these hikes. When the price of crude oil is falling in the international market, the government must explain why it pegs the final price at so much more than the actual cost. The current sale price of petrol far exceeds the cost of imported crude oil plus that of refinement at home and incidental expenses. The aam aadmi should not be made to bear the brunt for the failure of the Congress led government on energy management.
ARCHANA SHARMA,
Flat No. 5, Deep Vatika, Ratanlal Nagar, Kanpur (UP)
UPA throws a petrol bomb on aam aadmi (Organiser, 3.6.2012); As the common man deals with another blow to the household budget in the form of one more hike in petrol prices – the second in less than two months – politicians continue to bicker and analysts try to come up with a credible explanation. But the question the State-run petroleum firms should answer is while they hike prices to make up for losses, how come they feature on the ‘Fortune 500’ list of the world’s richest firms. The wonder of it all is that the very companies which are turning the screw on ordinary consumers, citing financial reasons have enough resources – upto 5,500 crore – to expand their operations by setting up 11,000 new petrol pumps, all over the country in the next two years.
PAWAN KUMAR, Civil Lines, Madhya Pradesh
Interlocutors’ Report not in national interest (Organiser, 24.6.2012); This is reference to the front page article ‘Interlocutors’ Report not in national interest. No compromise on Kashmir’ in Organiser by Virag Pachpore. The dictionary meaning of the word ‘Interlocutor’ is one who takes part in a conversation or in dialogue. Very strangely we have found out that interlocutors of India have become so powerful that just through their report they are gifting entire Kashmir to Pakistan, what a treason! What a violation of human rights! What a shame on their character! They are sold out to Pan Islamic forces. This report defies unanimous resolution passed by the Parliament in 1994 to retrieve every inch of territory illegally occupied by Pakistan in Kashmir. What a insult of Democracy and Parliament. Very shamefully, these interlocutors have not met any victim (either Hindu or Muslim) of terrorists violence in the Valley. These scoundrels have no sympathy for more than five lakh Hindu Pandit families usurped by Pak trained Islamic terrorists from Kashmir. The JKLF terrorists have abused even Muslim women and girls for their sexual pleasures in the name of temporary marriages, interlocators are dumb and deaf even at this violation of human rights. They are directly legalising PoK as Pakistan’s territory by describing it as Pak administered Kashmir meaning that the illegally occupied Indian territory is now Pakistan’s property. Making Article 370 permanent is recommended in the report. This means Kashmir will be permanently alienated from India. This is not acceptable. Congress has been doing its best to donate “Kashmir and Jammu” to Pan Islamic forces. Article 370 is a solid proof of it. Further, Congress never tried to regain the illegally occupied land rather pampered Pakistan to send terrorists in J&K. Even today, there are training camps run by Pakistan inside Kashmir and ironically people like Sonia and Manmohan are busy in promoting Islamic quote in jobs and education. The cut and dry solution for this problem is that all the Hindus must and should unite, pull down UPA government, replace it with patriotic NDA and regain Kashmir
Pramod Prabhakar Valsangkar, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad-500 060
Recitation of Hindu prayers in California Two city councils in California opened with maiden Hindu prayers on a single day. Ceres and Riverbank city councils in California (USA) had their first Hindu invocations on June 11, since these were incorporated in 1918 and 1922 respectively. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed delivered invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures before these city councils. After Sanskrit delivery, he then read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages. Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. He started and ended the prayers with “Om”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work. Hinduism is oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
Email: zed.rajan@gmail.com
Funds should be properly utilised Very often when drought strikes any State, the respective State Government approaches the Central Government for relief which goes in thousands of rupees in grants.However,it is seen that the funds are always misused and only a meagre amount out of it is utilised for the said purpose. In such a situation I feel that Central Government should provide the same funds annualy in stages and enforce all the State Governments to make arrangements to tackle the drought in permanent. Further the Central Government and the respective State Government should see to it that the money being spent on a project is properly utilised. I feel that if an attempt is made by the Central Government things can be materialised.
SETURAM ASPARI, E-Mail:asparam@rediffmail.com
Rahul has an Afghan lady love The Afghan expat community is a twitter, with news that Rahul Gandhi may be ‘seriously involved’ with a granddaughter of late Zahir Shah, the hereditary King of Afghanistan. The charming Afghan princess is even reported to have been converted to Christianity. Some informants speak of the pair “praying together on Sundays” in what these sources describe as a “home chapel” at the residence of Rahul’s mother. The two have reportedly been seen together in the Aman Hotel in Delhi, which is known to be a regular haunt of Rahul Gandhi, who spends hours there in the fitness centre, trying to develop biceps that can challenge those of Shahrukh Khan and Robert Vadra. The young lady from the Afghan royal family is known to be very well brought up, with a gentle mien and a generous nature. Hence, Rahul’s buddies hope that this time around, he will not walk away from a lady friend (as he has done on numerous occasions in the past) but will follow the example of papa Rajiv when he married mamma Sonia. The personable lady could emerge as a key asset for Rahul Gandhi as he seeks to win a fresh mandate for his battered party in 2014. She has undeniable appeal to the upwardly mobile youth vote.
Courtesy: The Sunday Guardian, 24.6.2012
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Will Rahul Gandhi ever marry? “There are whispers about Rahul Gandhi currently dating the granddaughter of the late deposed king of Afghanistan Zahir Shah. She's a jewellery designer whose mother is also Italian.”
Courtesy: India Today
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