Letters To The Editor

Way to go 8226; This has reference to the Indian Express of March 24 and the lead article in it. I am a great admirer of your paper but...

Way to go

8226; This has reference to the Indian Express of March 24 and the lead article in it. I am a great admirer of your paper but I find that you seem to lose your sense of proportion, fair play and vocabulary when it comes to Sonia Gandhi 8212; and her sacrifice. Your paper has stood for principles throughout its history. So why should Sonia8217;s action be judged differently and so contemptuously by you? Have the people of this country become so inured to the chicanery, corruption and hypocrisy of its politicians that they are too cynical to recognise a principled stand when they see it? Sonia Gandhi has once again proved she is a woman of substance.
I applaud her.

8212; Cynthia Reilly Mumbai

Iconic abstinence?

8226; Sonia Gandhi8217;s decision to resign as MP and chairperson of NAC was prompted not by of her 8220;inner voice8221; but by the Indian Express8217;s clear wake-up call to the nation, on how the UPA government was attempting to save her position by locking up Parliament and issuing an ordinance. Even now Congress spinmeisters are attempting to portray this sordid episode as a 8216;second sacrifice8217; by their leader. Maybe they should go the whole hog and add Nehru-Gandhi tyaga to the asvammedha and rajasuya sacrifices of Vedic era. That would steal the thunder from the Hindutva types.

8212; R. P. Subramanian Delhi

Post facto

8226; Sonia Gandhi8217;s resignation move 8216;Sonia sees profit in quitting office8217;, IE, March 24 was tinged with compulsion. She almost did again what she had done two years ago, making a show of sacrifice. If she is really conscientious, she should have quit immediately after Jaya Bachchan8217;s disqualification. Didn8217;t she know the rules? Her resignation is a good political move. She needed to stop the Opposition in their campaign and an ordinance to bail her out would have shown her in bad light. She is not interested in holding posts, she says. Then why does she contest elections?

8212; Amjad K. Maruf Mumbai

Handled sans care

8226; Far from the inner voice of her conscience, as pointed out in your editorial 8216;Inner voice: now lost8217; IE, March 24, Sonia Gandhi8217;s resignation was no more than a strategy. The ordinance would have gone against the Congress8217;s assembly election prospects in the five states. The act was not an expression of her desire to 8220;serve the people8221;, nor is it exactly a shrewd move to impress. It was a fallout of the UPA8217;s sloppy handling of the crisis. First they force Jaya Bachchan8217;s disqualification and then plan an ordinance, to which end Parliament is suddenly adjourned sine die. In apprehension of public discontent, Sonia Gandhi then strikes the posture of self-denial.

8212; Ved Guliani, Hisar

Total view

8226; Your March 24 editorial page brings to mind a submarine commander who, before surfacing his boat, sticks his periscope up to take an all round view of the horizon. You have done just that to utter perfection: inner voice: now lost; law is not an ass; Indira to Sonia no one profits by political worship; the gamble of a daughter-in-law much depends on how the weapon of her resignation is used. The Op-Ed page, with its story on Maharashtra8217;s political geography; the new spring in Iraq, and 8216;The sign of the Scorpene8217;, was also commendable. That last bit was by none other than a former submarine commander, Raja Menon! Three cheers and more to the Express, and more power to your elbow!

8212; Mukund B. Kunte Delhi