Letters To The Editor

In your editorial, 8216;God and state8217;, on the Sabarimala temple controversy...

Liberal counsel

8226; In your editorial, 8216;God and state8217; IE, June 30, on the Sabarimala temple controversy, you have rightly criticised the Kerala government for abdicating its secular duty of fighting caste and gender discrimination. You have aptly reminded the Marxist regime of its responsibility to battle 8220;superstition and orthodoxy8221; and for equality, to carry forward the process of modernisation of the Indian society.

However, your June 28 report, 8216;Confirmed: Sabarimala was desecrated 19 years back8217;, strikes a contrarian note. The Kochi report called the Kannada actress Jaimala8217;s 8220;confession8221; that she had entered the sanctum sanctorum and touched the feet of the Ayappa idol in l987, as a 8220;shameful incident8221; and 8220;a permanent blot on the sanctity of the Sabarimala temple8221;. How do we reconcile the tenor of the report with the liberal secular advice you have rendered to the Kerala government in your editorial?

8212; Nitin G. Gokarn, Mumbai

Killer usury

8226; Kudos to the Indian Express for the Exclusive of June 30, revealing the truth behind the farmers8217; suicides in Maharashtra. The eye-opener was a Congress MLA being in the trade of usurious money-lending and coercive recoveries and the CM trying to shield him. After the PM8217;s visit everything will be forgotten, including the spruced-up roads and the farmers. If Dr Manmohan Singh is honest in his endeavour, he should visit these villages periodically to audit the results of the measures being taken to prevent the tragic cycles of death, the grim irony of which is that India is an agricultural county. Can we, besides, have a White Paper on farmers8217; suicides?

8212; Kedarnath Aiyar, Mumbai

Riders to boom

8226; It felt good to read Veerappa Moily8217;s comments on the reservation issue. He has a sound plan, being better informed of the situation as also of the options the government has to solve this problem than is the HRD minister, considering what we got to see when the latter spoke to Karan Thappar on CNN-IBN.

India is at a stage when politicians cannot choose to ignore the circumstances we are facing as a nation. The economic drive has now become bigger than any person or political party, and no party which is careful about its relevance can afford to antagonise the very section of society which is in the driver8217;s seat of this economic ride that we are enjoying today. As someone who has taken the advantage of this boom time, I wish to include as many Indians as possible in this ride but not at the cost of throwing out someone already in the bandwagon so as to make space for someone who isn8217;t in as yet.

8212; Vidya Ramanathan Delhi

Israel example

8226; It is amazing how different governments look at similar problems. While the government of Israel is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring freedom for its soldier held hostage by the Palestinians, we are releasing hardcore terrorists from our jails and repatriating them to Pakistan. Does our government want to have some more Azhar Masoods and Hafiz Sayeeds to spread the virus of pan-Islamic terrorism in our country? Forgiveness is one thing, being meek in the guise of magnanimity quite another.

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Forgiveness behoves him who has the power to punish. As poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar says: 8220;Kshama shobhti us bujang ko jiske paas garal hai; usko kya jo dant-heen vish-rahit vinit saral ho.8221;

8212; Rashneek Kher, New Delhi