Letters To The Editor

Coomi Kapoor has been realistic in delineating the difficulties for the Congress in reaping gains in UP, despite a thumping win in Rae Bareili...

Rae Bareli truths

• Coomi Kapoor has been realistic in delineating the difficulties for the Congress in reaping gains in UP, despite a thumping win in Rae Bareili (‘Why Rae Bareli matters’, IE, May 10). There are additional factors which political commentators have not appreciated fully. Take the atomisation of the political machinery, especially in rural constituencies. A significant shift in recent times is that political power is now wielded by the distribution and sharing of rewards downwards. This is no different from the strategy the Gandhis adapted in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Sanjay Gandhi chose Amethi because of persuasion from Sanjay Singh. Subsequently, the family cultivated this constituency by patronising Singh and other power brokers. The story is no different in Rae Bareli. The revolt of strongman Akhilesh Singh resulted in Satish Sharma losing the seat. It is true that in the last election Sonia Gandhi convincingly defeated Akhilesh’s candidate, but for this Priyanka had to sweat it out. In this election they have lured Akhilesh back into their fold.The problem in reviving the Congress in other rural constituencies is that the Congress is not able to bring to its side powerful local politicians, since the party is looking for hardcore party votes which they supplement with their own in order to win elections. The Congress cannot offer in other constituencies the patronage it does in Amethi and Rae Bareli. This restricts them to urban constituencies.

— Raj Bhadra Singh, Sultanpur

Reach out to J&K

• Hameeda Nayeem is right in her observation that the war being waged in the valley is not merely against militancy but, more importantly, to win the hearts and minds of the local populace (‘Unite, in humanity’, IE, May 11). It is also a pity that, in conjunction with the J&K state apparatus, the media has sought to blame the victimised women for their predicament. The J&K chief minister has stated — almost ritualistically — that he has ordered a CBI inquiry. This by itself may not be the solution to the problem.

— V.B.N. Ram, New Delhi

Read, minister

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• This is in response to ‘It’s about quality, not merit’ (IE, May 9) by Abhijit Sengupta. I totally agree and our honourable HRD minister should read this article. The OBC children, who are studying in government schools, do not even know how to read the alphabet and Arjun Singh is giving them reservations in colleges. Instead of securing their vote banks, our ministers should concentrate on improving basic conditions, including education.

—Nisthasri Awasthi, New Delhi

Board’s wrong

• If the views expressed by Virendra Sehwag are analysed with an open mind, it will be obvious that there is nothing in them that is against the BCCI (‘BCCI Gags Sewag’, IE, May 10). The Indian vice captain’s observations should rightly be accepted as valuable feedback. But the BCCI prefers to respond by arm-twisting tactics. Such an approach will cause demoralisation among the players and adversely affect the quality of Indian cricket.

— K.S. Gopalakrishnan Delhi

PM’s yatra idea

• The PM’s suggestion that the 150th anniversary of 1857, which falls next year, should be marked as an example of Hindu-Muslim unity deserves serious attention. He wants the youth to take out ‘yatras’ from every corner of the country to Meerut, the city where the fire of uprising was first ignited. This is an oblique criticism of the ‘yatras’ recently taken out by some leaders to widen the gulf between Hindus and Muslims.

— Shariq Alavi Noida

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Statehood protest takes violent turn in Ladakh, BJP office set ablaze in Leh

India27 min ago

Protests in Ladakh turned violent as students and youth organisations demanded statehood and Sixth Schedule status. Two elderly protesters fainted, prompting a shutdown call. A BJP office and security vehicle were set on fire. Activist Sonam Wangchuk urged for a peaceful approach. The demand for Sixth Schedule status is due to Ladakh's tribal-majority population and direct central administration.

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