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• P. Chidambaram, commenting on the attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, advocates a separate Telengana state as ...

• P. Chidambaram, commenting on the attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, advocates a separate Telengana state as a solution to the endemic Naxalite violence that is plaguing the state for the past two decades (An attack seeks answers, The Sunday Express, Oct 5). However, as in the case of creating new nations by secession or partition, the creation of new states within a federation may not be the best solution for mitigating conflict. Any region of the Indian union is far from homogenous as was reflected in the context of Manipur’s protest at the proposal for a Greater Nagaland. As such, the solution does not lie in further division but in accepting the framework of power-sharing of constitutional democracy, which can overcome divisiveness and hostility of language, region, culture, race, religion and ethnicity. As Lijphart has convincingly argued, the basic difference lies in the alternative scenarios of consensual and adversarial cultures practised by the political, social and cultural elite. Sub-cultural hostility is a reflection of a lack of consensual culture among political elite and is the reason for the perpetuation of inter-communal hostility. But this is not inevitable. If consensual power-sharing can be worked out by grand coalition of all significant groups, with minority veto on important policy alternatives, proportional representation in elected offices and civil services, rough parity in financial allocation and cultural autonomy, then it will be possible to build unity in diversity.

Size in such an arrangement is less important than attitude reflected by a highly personalised and over-centralised functioning of most of our political organisations and state apparatuses. This will not disappear by further division of states, but by evolving an enduring institutional mechanism, and change of attitude by genuine elite accommodation of all the unrepresented and under-represented segments of Indian society.
— Dr Sushila Ramaswamy

• Most issues that confront our country today are very basic in nature: lack of general hygiene, sanitation, civic sense and so forth (Where’s the culture in nationalism, Oct 5). I hardly see any columns more focused on these fundamental topics than in the Express. Whilst we pretend to be living in the cyber and digital age, I am forced to ask myself: have we really come out of the bullock cart age? I have my own doubts, though I am sure many of my fellow citizens will vehemently disagree!
— M.P.K. Pillai

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• Tavleen Singh’s piece hits the nail on the head. Your reference to perks and privileges of our politicians and bureaucrats is very relevant. Take the example of the US. Neither Capitol Hill or any of the states in America has 103 and 96 ministers like we do. The irony is that everyone in our country knows what is going wrong. The tragedy is that, unlike what happened in France (the Revolution) and the US (the Civil War), we in India are totally helpless to do anything about it, except to cry and write letters.
—Brig N.B. Grant

• Tavleen Singh is cent per cent right when she mentioned about the filth in the Indian neighbourhood. But could you explain your tirade against ‘‘Hindu fanaticism?’’ What is it? What is so fanatic about agitating for Ram temple at a most sacred site? What is so fanatic about asking for a common civil law for all Indian citizens? What is so fanatic about asking Muslims to respect the religion and culture of the majority community?
— Sarma

• This refers to P. Chidambaram’s article on the attack on Chandrababu Naidu. He is an ideal chief minister, his leadership quality and commitment to Andhra Pradesh’s development are highly commendable. The attempt on the life of such a popular leader should not be taken for granted. The incident warrants some urgent considerations. The government has two workable options before it: crush the Naxalite network or pacify them with developmental measures. It is time the government made grounds for negotiations with the Naxalites. Political empowerment of the people of these regions will go a long way in containing the Naxalite menace that is time and again rearing its violent head. A revolution, it must be noted, succeeds for a just cause only. But any misguided adventure by any group in the world is doomed to failure.
— Syed Zakaullah

Indian techie shot dead by police in US’ California; family urges MEA to bring back body

World1 hr ago

A 30-year-old man from Telangana, Mohammed Nizamuddin, was allegedly shot dead by police in Santa Clara, California. His father, Mohammed Hasnuddin, is seeking assistance from the Indian and Telangana state governments to bring back his son's body. The exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear, but Nizamuddin's father has appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs for help.

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