Letters to the editor

Poor B.S. Yeddyurappa changed his name and visited various temples to become Karnataka’s chief minister.

Lotus fades

Poor B.S. Yeddyurappa changed his name and visited various temples to become Karnataka’s chief minister. But H.D. Deve Gowda proved to be more powerful than all the gods put together and, ultimately, the seven-day-CM had to resign. This is no new experience for the BJP. Mayawati refused to hand over charge as CM in UP and by doing so went against an agreement. Vajpayee had to resign as PM within 11 days, after failing to prove his majority. And now Yeddyurapppa met the same fate. The Congress must be enjoying the BJP’s discomfiture. Now, the BJP, like Dritarashtra, should not harbour a grudge from denial of throne and go on cursing everybody. The party’s dream of opening its account in the south has remained a mere dream. But this does not mean that the Congress will be a party with a difference. It is as divided as the BJP; as leaderless and rudderless in the state. With Dharam Singh and Mallikarjun Kharge at the helm of affairs, nothing good can emerge. The best thing to do is to bring S.M. Krishna back at the helm and go to the polls under him.

— M.H. Nayak

Mumbai

Back to people

The BJP has left no stone unturned to taste power in Karnataka. That seven-day miracle, Yeddyurappa, even changed his name on astrologers’ advice (like former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy) to become CM. As the stars dropped Yeddyurappa from the firmament, the BJP lost its zest for its southern sojourn. Now it appears that the JD(S) is keen on an alliance with the Congress. But what guarantee would the Congress have that the JD(S) will continue to extend support to the government until the end of its term? Instead of thus denying the people a government, it is better for the three major political parties of the state to seek a fresh mandate and leave the issue of cleansing the political system to the wisdom of the electorate. But who says the people have grown any wiser, if we go by their choice as

exercised last time?

— B.K. Chatterjee

Faridabad

Elite’s plaint

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As explained by the open letter to MPs by strategists and scientists, the Indo-US nuclear deal will be a welcome marriage of convenience. While the constraints imposed by this marriage will be little more than what is involved with our self-imposed moratorium on nuclear tests, the opportunities opened up are of much more importance and value. There is hardly any problem in the world whose solution does not lead to a fresh set of re-adjustment problems. But it is a risk worth taking.

— Mukulesh Mitra

New Delhi

Sullying Ganga mata

Shivanand Tiwari, the JD(U) spokesperson, has justified his spitting into the river Ganges by arguing, “Does a mother get angry when her child urinates in her lap? The Ganga is our mother, how can she get angry with us?” First, Shivanand Tiwari is not a child, but a fully grown-up man. To continue his line of argument, will he therefore dare to urinate or spit on his real, biological mother and be forgiven? He’s lucky that Ganga Mata cannot personify herself any more as she did before King Shantanu. On a more practical plane, the water of Ganga is used by millions, and is regarded as holy. Tiwari needs to realise that the sanctity and purity of the river water requires to be maintained, and as a public personality he has a responsibility to be working towards that end.

— Harischandra Parasuram

Mumbai

Prashant Kishor: ‘Democracy not weak… Those saying people will lose vote rights are fools’

Political Pulse21 min ago

Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor launched his Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) after three years touring Bihar. The coming Assembly polls will be the first test of his goal to emerge as the third alternative in Bihar politics. Kishor speaks to The Indian Express about his party’s campaign, and the issues being raised by his rivals.

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