Modi has been the talk of the media over the last few weeks and this response to Shekhar Gupta’s piece, ‘Modi versus Modi’, asks a moot question: why has the BJP ceded its authority to the Gujarat chief minister? The letter by Ghaziabad-based M.K.D. Prasada Rao (‘Modifiers in Gujarat’), wins this week’s award.• Shekhar Gupta makes it absolutely clear in his piece, ‘Modi versus Modi’, that Narendra Modi will not earn a thumping majority for his party in the ongoing elections. For this, he alone must be held responsible. He has alienated a large number of his party MLAs and been rude to leaders like Keshubhai Patel. In this connection, it is relevant to note that ever since it tasted power at the Centre, the BJP has ceased to be “a party with a difference” and has become “a party with differences”. Gujarat holds the mirror to this state of affairs. Should not the party have put Modi in his place when he was spinning out of control? Was it really in the party’s interest in Gujarat to have acceded to Modi’s every tantrum and ignored those sections of the party in the state when they were voicing their disenchantment with his behaviour? No dispassionate observer of the political scene of Gujarat can endorse Modi’s one-upmanship to the exclusion of his seasoned colleagues, both at the state and national levels.Old man & babe• Meghnad Desai (‘Lauh Purush & Gandhi baba’) is expecting too much of an old man (Advani) and a happy-go-lucky young man (Rahul). He visualises a common minimum understanding between the two main rival political parties of India. We know for sure that in public life we lack common sense. The opposition party remains faithful to opposing all policies. The party in power forgets that its time is running out and soon it will adorn the opposition benches. They will never understand each other’s position on any point of importance. Their script is written beforehand and every party will act accordingly. O Mother India, give us courageous citizens to protect our land from leaders who do not know how to lead!— Dankesh OzaBaroda Quota crucible• I refer to Kedarnath Aiyar’s letter. Contrary to permanently dividing India on caste lines as claimed by Aiyar, Dr Ambedkar’s reservations based on caste have given all SC/ST a pride, self-esteem, a chance to get higher education and better jobs. Now SCs/STs are not ashamed of their lower-caste status. On the contrary they are proud to say that they belong to the SC/ST community. It’s the so-called high-caste Hindus who are afraid to antagonise SCs/STs.— Sudhir K. Bhave MumbaiEnding Nandigrabs• This refers to the timely and lively editorial, (‘Nandigrab’). It raises very vital questions for the CPM in West Bengal, in the wake of the police firing at Nandigram and ‘Operation Recapture’: where does the party stop and the state begin? And, which is sovereign? Whatever has happened there was a national shame. If the CBI report on the “entire developments” in Nandigram stands the scrutiny of the Kolkata High Court, then it may further complicate matters for the state government and CPM cadre. It is time for some soul-searching by the party to prevent the recurrence of such ghastly incidents in the future. This is essential, both for the state government and in the larger national interest.— S.K. Gupta Delhi
