Opinion Letters to the editor: Whose idea?

I was comforted and delighted to read Shekhar Gupta’s article, ‘Secularism is dead!’ (IE, April 19).

April 23, 2014 12:18 AM IST First published on: Apr 23, 2014 at 12:18 AM IST

Whose idea?
I was comforted and delighted to read Shekhar Gupta’s article, ‘Secularism is dead!’ (IE, April 19). He does well to give us a dose of practical good sense at time when “intellectuals” seem preoccupied with grand narratives and ideological battles about the making or unmaking of India. We seem to forget we are talking of an election. Whom we vote for, or against, is a simple electoral act. Our concern is simply to get a good and responsive government. A BJP-led NDA seems to promise that better than the Congress’s UPA. If they deliver, it will be good.

If not, they will be thrown out of power in the next election. As for the debate about the idea of India, it seems very elitist to me. If the idea of India is intrinsically Indian, surely the people of the country would know what it is without having to be told? Whatever the idea of India is, it is nearer and dearer to the people who inhabit the geographies and diversities of India in their daily lives than to the scholarly mind.
— Gurpreet S. Goraya
Chandigarh

Can’t hear you
I was very sad to learn of the hate speech by the VHP’s Pravin Togadia. Agents of such unreason are a major threat to India’s social fabric. It is incumbent upon the Election Commission and the government to take immediate action against such people. But in my opinion, it is even more important for newspapers to desist from publishing excerpts of such speeches. Ignoring them maybe the fitting reply to such communal forces.
— Ankur Sharma
Chandausi

Pravin Togadia’s venomous speech targeting Muslims is reprehensible. There is no let up in the rhetoric to polarise voters and this is a matter of serious concern. Any attempt to create a wedge between communities should be nipped in the bud. While the BJP and RSS have distanced themselves from Togadia’s remarks, we should not be oblivious to the reality that fundamentalist groups do intimidate and attack religious minorities.
— M. Jeyaram
Sholavandan

Going strong
Apropos of ‘Criminal-free Parliament top priority, says Modi’ (IE, April 22), is one to assume that all the criminals will be let loose outside Parliament now? Narendra Modi’s call for a strong government is quite strident, but he has little to say about a strong justice system, a strong public sector delivering services to all, a strong outreach system for anti-poverty programmes or strong civic governance that keeps cities clean and functioning. It’s a strong government for maybe snooping on women because their lives are in danger, for measures to get rid of opponents inside and outside the BJP, for posturing against Pakistan and other masculine activities compatible with a broad chest.
— Anuradha Kalhan
Delhi

# Letters to the editor