Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Consistency pays
8226; One really good thing about the whole saga of the Indo-US nuclear deal has been that, apart from the BJP, all the political parties in the forefront of the debate have been remarkably consistent. The Congress8217;s UPA partners have consistently backed the deal and the prime minister. The Left, which said it would withdraw support if the deal went forward, has indeed done so. And the Samajwadi Party, whose apparently sudden tie-up with Congress may seem unprincipled, is actually also sticking to its anti-communal stand.
8212; Gaurav Dua
Akalis8217; choice
8226; This refers to the news report 8216;Akalis to NDA: we support the deal, will take call on vote8217;. When the SAD leadership is clear that Indo-US nuclear deal is in the national interest, it should influence its NDA partners rather than follow them blindly against its own good judgment. Or, let the SAD show the way to other parties by supporting the deal and yet remaining a loyal constituent of the NDA.
Political parties must take a rational stand on the issue, otherwise they will find it difficult to face the enlightened electorate in next elections.
8212; H.S. Gur
Hisar
Fissions
8226; Pratap Bhanu Mehta8217;s article, 8216;Partitions of the mind8217;, echoes the deep sense of agony and disgust of a large segment of enlightened Indians over the increasing prominence of identity politics. He is right in his disturbing diagnosis that 8220;a whole range of events over the last week8221;, including the Amarnath Shrine Board controversy, 8220;reminds us once again how the concept of secular citizenship is almost dead in India8221;.
The obvious culprits are the ruling and the political class. The emphasis on quotas and special privileges has deepened social and inter-community disharmony. The disease has inevitably spread even to iconic institutions like St Stephen8217;s College.
8212; M. Ratan New Delhi
Subnationalism?
8226; This refers to your editorials, 8216;Identity crisis8217; and 8216;Time to move on8217;. You have accused the outgoing governor of Jammu and Kashmir, S.K. Sinha, of reducing the entire complex of resentment and identities fuelling separatism into a religious problem alone.
Yes, the issue of separatism has already become a religious problem because the identity of the separatists is based only on religion. If waqf boards and SGPC can be set up by the state why not shrine boards? Will anybody explain what the terms 8220;Kashmiriyat8221; and 8220;Kashmiri nationalism8221; signify? Don8217;t these parochial terms run counter to the national interest?
8212; G.C. Sharma
Mohali
