Letters to the editor

India is full of places and monuments which people since time immemorial have been revering as sites of worship...

Faith abridged

8226; India is full of places and monuments which people since time immemorial have been revering as sites of worship or which are sanctified as the abodes of gods 8216;In affidavit to SC8230;8217; IE, September 13. They cannot just be brushed aside for the sake of overall development, no matter how genuine the intentions are. Irresponsible statements challenging the very existence of the host of gods and goddesses immortalised by the epic Ramayana will ignite religious passions within the nation as a whole. The irony is further highlighted when one weighs the response of the Centre to the writ petitions that only sought an assurance from the government that there would be no destruction of the 8220;mythical barrier 8212; Ram Setu8221; during the construction of the Sethusamudram project. Ram Setu is not just another bridge!

8212; Pachu Menon Margao

Maritime necessity

8226; EVERYONE seems to have forgotten that only a couple of months ago a 8216;space scientist8217; who for two years had helped the RSS formulate its opposition to the Sethusamudram project, had turned out to be a fraud. There are many reasons why the project should be allowed to go ahead. Currently ships coming from the western coast of India and other western countries have to navigate around Sri Lanka to reach India8217;s eastern coast as well as countries in Southeast Asia. The new channel will cut short sailing for an additional distance of 254-424 nautical miles and 21-36 hours, both of which would result in considerable savings. The channel will also be an invaluable asset from the point of view of India8217;s national defence and security, enabling easier and quicker access between the coasts. The project is therefore in the country8217;s national interest.

8212; Md Ziyaullah Khan

Pune

Motives on cards

8226; APROPOS of your editorial, 8216;Bridge partners8217; IE, September 13, I am afraid you are wrong in your concluding lines that the affidavit8217;s over-enthusiasm will not benefit the government. It will, being in a series of measures designed to appease the minorities, starting with the Sachar Committee Report. With a snap poll a distinct possibility, the Congress8217; eyes are fixed on the 14 per cent Muslim population and 2 per cent Christians. You observe that the submission stating that there is no historical proof for the characters of the Ramayana existing is indeed incredibly silly, which only means that the BJP was right to raise its voice against it.

8212; Kedarnath R. Aiyar

Mumbai

Hand on Gita

8226; IT is strange that the judiciary tolerated a judge like Justice S.N. Srivastava who recommended that the Bhagavad Gita be made the 8216;Rashtriya dharmashastra8217; of the country. He seems to be influenced by religious texts rather than by the Indian Constitution. One can imagine what would happen if a case like that of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi accused of murder came up before him. The government cannot just ignore the judge8217;s observation made in a judgment. It should be condemned.

8212; N. Kunju Delhi

Bhutto8217;s vision

8226; GOING by media reports, Benazir Bhutto believes in democracy in Pakistan, which is a precondition to the country8217;s economic growth and welfare. But if she does return and become prime minister, it will be extremely difficult for her to revive the economy and bring Pakistan on par with the rest of the world while allowing it to retain its basic Islamic character. This is because the fundamentalists there have wrongly defined Islam and Islamic law to suit their own personal interests.

8212; Mahesh Kumar

New Delhi