Letters to The Editor — March 18, 2026

Watch and sign

India’s decision to ink a trade deal with the United States only after clarity on tariff issues may come unstuck considering the impulsive nature of U.S. President Donald Trump. Those who had been exporting to the U.S. have burnt their fingers already and will be weary of considering exporting their products to the U.S. hereafter. The Centre may like to improve and stabilise its diplomatic ties with the U.S. but the Indian exporters may not want to take a risk.

Indian exporters, who thrive on thin margins of profit, will keep themselves away from American importers as the imposition of harsh American tariffs at any given point of time cannot be ruled out (Front page, March 17).

V. Lakshmanan,

Tirupur, Tamil Nadu

The government’s decision reflects a pragmatic and strategically sound approach. A premature agreement without clarity on how competing economies are treated could weaken India’s export competitiveness in key sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, and engineering goods.

Vidyasagar Reddy Kethiri,

Hanamkonda, Telangana

Political graffiti removal

The Election Commission of India recently announced the election schedule for four States and a Union Territory. Soon after, municipal authorities across cities and towns began removing political graffiti and wall writings put up by various political parties. Why should taxpayers’ money be spent to clean up publicity material created by political parties? The government is now spending significant resources on labour and paint to erase these writings from public walls. If political parties are allowed to use public spaces for party or party leaders’ publicity, they should either be required to pay a fee for such use or be made responsible for removing the graffiti within a stipulated period of time. In case of non-compliance, the authorities should recover the cost and initiate appropriate legal action.

Y.R.M. Rao,

Chennai