Some support lobbying as good for growth, but we need to look beyond individuals and towards society and civilisation (Favourite Lobby Horses, May 17). We have had ‘House Negros’ all along. No wonder the number of lobbyists in the United States (the leading light of mncs) has been growing steadily since 2000. Generations pay the price due to these lobbyists before opposition attains critical mass—the tobacco industry is a great example. Healthcare reforms in the US are a major political issue, but yet to attain suh mass. The gravest threat to mankind—global warming—is being countered/negated/subdued by the might of lobbying. Those who seek salvation in gdp growth need to know how ‘externalisation’ contributes to the growth of corporates and economies. For our children’s sake, let’s not support lobbyists for we might have to eat GM food sooner than later.
Rupi Singh, Chandigarh
Lobbyists are a good thing to have; China has a large number of them working for their exports.
Syed Moiz, Jeddah
Though declared illegal, lobbying has been very much in existence . I lived from 1952 to 1977 in North Avenue and its vicinity and saw at close quarters how lobbying was conducted and how bigwigs were a part of it. There’s always been a clear-cut nexus of businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats. With the number of parliamentarians of the freedom movement vintage dwindling, its sweep has only increased.
Girish Mishra, New Delhi
It won’t be long before business houses have different blocks in Parliament in the guise of political parties. We know which parties serve Ambani interests; the government’s eagerness in aviation policy, stimulus packages, fdi in insurance, retail and education speaks of other vested business interests. The finance minister routinely consults industry bodies like ficci and assocham, but never any farmers’ organisation because they cannot lobby like industry.
Sudhir Panwar, Lucknow
You do not highlight the role agricultural scientists and economists play in lobbying. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the shadow warrior for big agribusiness and biotechnology companies. The moratorium on Bt brinjal has already disheartened the scientific community; it is now pitching for an independent scientific review to bring it back into the market. For years, these scientists have promoted chemical pesticides and fertilisers; now they’re promoting GM crops. While farmers are dying, the stocks of agribusiness companies are going up. And while close to 200,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1997, icar and the universities have not held even one major national conference/seminar on the issue. Every third day, however, you find them holding conferences and workshops on GM crops, biosafety and the glorious future these biotech seeds and foods hold for our farmers.
Devinder Sharma, on e-mail
“National carrier struggles to survive as lobbyists ensure better health for private carriers and airport operators.” Are you serious? Have you heard of something called service? If the employees of this monstrosity did not have the protection of being quasi-government servants thanks to their employment with the national carrier, they would be unemployed and unemploy-able as well. You don’t need lobbyists to beat the national air carrier as far as business is concerned. It has its own lobbyists in the employees’ unions and the many socialists in the government and the media. If, indeed, despite offering vastly superior service, the private airlines require lobbyists, that is only a demonstration of how well-entrenched the national disgrace, aka the national carrier, is.
Mehul Kamdar, Appleton, US
While with one hand the cabinet secretary was writing a letter to fellow members of the ‘ruling class’, advocating some soul-searching, with the other he was giving the finishing touches to a scheme putting fellow kleptocrats out of the reach of the Central Vigilance Commission. Now, a three-member committee of the same club will go into questions of corruption by officers of joint secretary rank and above. What better way of ‘refurbishing’ one’s image than becoming the accused, prosecutor and judge, all rolled into one.
Vikas Ranjan, on e-mail
Apropos of Everything is Facilitated, why blame small fry like private secretaries and osds when the root of the problem lies at the top?
Ganesan, New Jersey
