Act, but not just againt Maggi
This refers to the timely and lively editorial “Two minutes of concern” (June 5). The manner in which Nestle’s “Maggi” is being castigated over the alleged excessive presence of lead and MSG, it appears to be the worst case of food safety violation in India. How come Maggi “2-minute” noodles, a darling snack of everyone till a few days back has suddenly run into rough weather and has singularly become dangerous and totally unfit for consumption? Don’t we see a glut of harmful products, other than Maggi, in the Indian markets? The list may include even the banned medicines, fizzy soft drinks, tall-cosmetic and toiletries making tall claims, self-praising health-products, apart from milk containing urea, adulterated khoya and paneer, artificially-coloured vegetables, fruits laced with chemicals for ripening, artificially-polished pulses, even adulterated spices and what not. Perhaps this is possible only in India. One really wonders as to whether any similar proactive action has ever been taken against any one of them by the authorities concerned. If not, then why not? Why go after just Maggi? Mind you, there could be many more skeletons in the cup-board. Of course, suitable legal action must be taken against Nestle, but only after its conviction by the competent court. Why the nation has given an ex-parte verdict against it even at this allegation stage? Why do various TV channels continue to advertise this harmful product despite its reported banning by various states? However, as per the latest media reports, Nestle has withdrawn Maggi from various stores across the country despite claiming that it was safe! Let us now wait and watch. But one still wishes that there were no discrimination and all other offenders too were brought to book.
SK Gupta
Delhi
Modi’s troubles
Apropos of the column “Making NDA’s economic initiatives work” (June 5), there is much in common between the coming into power of Obama and of Modi. They came from nowhere. Obama, with his singular agenda for inclusiveness, vowed to change Washington, only to meet a steady political opposition that dogged him into his second-term as well. BJP had assumed that indifferent governance was the sole reason for the ill-fated Congress tenure and that they only need to have an one point agenda of good governance. Its orchestrated pitch then gifted the party an enviable majority after three decades of coalition governments. Yet, after a year, the seemingly drifting economy is a throw-back to the final years of UPA-II. Obama was lucky to have mainly the economy to mend, but soon enough found that even the world’s powerful political office can not deliver on narrow agendas without sagacity, compromise, patience and political finesse. In running India, Modi has a far wider spectrum of issues to contend with, typical of a developing economy, with deep politico-social overtones. He battles as much dissonance from within as without. The troubled J&K Assembly coalition experiment, the rising toll of insurgency, a truant monsoon, hostile neighbourhood, stress in the agri sector—the list is long. Short of men with significant ministerial experience, the burdens continue to fall to his lot alone. That the veneer is thinning within a year comes with an advantage—there is time for course correction.
R Narayanan
Ghaziabad
