Front on edge

Your reservations about the viability of a Third Front 8216;That idea again8217;, IE, February 14, are justi...

Your reservations about the viability of a Third Front 8216;That idea again8217;, IE, February 14, are justified. The move is gaining momentum at the behest of political parties that feel marginalised in today8217;s polity. While the Left is left with no option but to support the Congress-led UPA which carries on economic reforms, the TDP is trying to create a space for itself after its unexpected fiasco in AP. The Samajwadi Party8217;s failure to climb onto the UPA bandwagon together with its government8217;s dependence on the Congress in UP is propelling its search for new combinations.

8212; J.M. Manchanda New Delhi

A dangerous game

8226; The survey of Muslims in the armed forces by the Rajinder Sachar Committee once again proves that the Congress is the most communal party. It is dividing the country by religion and caste instead of uniting people on common human principles of merit, kindness, firmness against terrorism etc.

8212; B.V. Rao Bangalore

8226; Protesting against the move to ascertain the number of Muslims in the army is 8216;8216;communalising8217;8217; the issue 8212; so says Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi. The move is just to collect data and cannot be objected to, he says. But data to what purpose?

8212; Inder Nath New Delhi

8226; The principle of 8216;civilian supremacy8217; over the armed forces is indisputable, and has stood the test of time in our country. However, the other indisputable fact is that the armed forces are one of the few institutions if not the only institution in the country that enjoys total trust and confidence of the nation and is completely secular and apolitical. Civilian supremacy exercised without adequate understanding of the unique character of the armed forces could be disastrous. The government would therefore do well to heed of the apprehensions of the army chief regarding furnishing of details of Muslims in the force. The apprehensions of the general are well founded for the simple reason that the army is, so far, untouched by the spectre of communalism or casteism. It is the epitome of 8216;Unity in Diversity8217;.

8212; R.P. Agarwal New Delhi

Chalk, cheese

8226; In 8216;Freedom of speech 8212; at public8217;s cost8217; IE, February 13, Shailaja Bajpai has compared chalk, cheese and mashed potato. She has painted Ramdevji8217;s lashing out at coke and reservations, Farah8217;s spiel on television regarding AMU8217;s dress code, the PIL against newspapers carrying alleged soft porn and the Toon controversy all with the same brush. The insult to the Prophet is a far greater wrong and not the same as rejecting a brand, a dress code or an ethical norm.

8212; Beena Pandya Gurgaon

Think about it

8226; Secessionist activities among the militants of the North-east have led to the loss of hundreds and thousands of innocent lives at the hands of the armed forces. It8217;s time the militant organisations of the region acknowledged the vast damage they are doing to their own kinsmen. We cannot afford to lose any more lives in this violence. The only solution is to put our heads together and work for the economic development of the entire region.

8212; Pragyan Singh Mumbai