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Why miss the bus?

Sir, — This refers to the former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral's article on the issue of sending troops to Iraq ( June 19 ). Whether it would be politically right to send troops and please the U.S. administration is a question that can be answered from the point of view of the national interest. Will not the nation's economy receive a boost if the country gets a substantial slice of the $500-billion reconstruction work in Iraq? Nobody can doubt that and how could a former Prime Minister suggest the denial of these prospects?

By not sending the troops and eventually losing an opportunity to participate in the reconstruction work, will the nation achieve any credible political victory other than boasting to the world that we had stood up to Washington's pressures?

Mr. Gujral says that ``in any case, there is something un-Indian and undignified in becoming a sub-contractor to the Pentagon in order to become a sub-contractor to American multinationals... '' Indian political leadership appears to have no problem wooing China and trying to develop strong economic tie-ups with it even when that country has not yet shown any interest in sorting out the border problems with India. But why should they be reluctant to deal with the U.S. where over a couple of million people of Indian origin have anchored their lives and become part and parcel of that nation's social, cultural, political and economic set-up?

R.T.R. Varma,

Kochi, Kerala

* * *

Sir, __ It is India's duty to send its troops to Iraq to normalise the situation there. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, stated that the Indian Army is the best in the world. It is a golden opportunity to prove it.

R.S. Ramalingam,

Manjeri, Kerala

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