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Journalism of Courage
• It is unfortunate that Raj Thackeray is justifying his stand against north Indian people in Mumbai by equating the concern shown by Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi and others for the genuine issues of their people. He has forgotten that they never objected to fellow Indians in India, whether it is in Tamil Nadu, Punjab or anywhere else.
Surely, nobody will be convinced by his stand which endangers the unity of the nation. Hopefully better sense will prevail and he will stop playing this dangerous parochial game. It is high time the state government realised the seriousness of these divisive activities and took necessary action to curb them, instead of vacillating for political reasons.
— V.S. Ganeshan
Tigers’ stripes
• Apropos of the editorial ‘The Insider’ I appreciate your views on the slackness of the Maharashtra government in not taking timely action against the activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
The incompetent, weak and inefficient Deshmukh government must be sacked for failing to protect the life and property of north Indians living in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav are openly preaching parochialism and declaring war against non-Maharashtrians because they believe that they are above law.
In the early nineties, Balasaheb, their family elder, plunged Mumbai into communal frenzy resulting in the death of hundreds of Muslims and loss of their property worth crores. No effective action was taken against him or his sainiks. Emboldened and encouraged by that, his son and nephew are again raising the voice of hatred and regionalism.
It is strange that while the incumbent prime minister is silent on this issue, the prime minister-in-waiting has openly criticised the MNS and Shiv Sena and denounced the hate campaign against non-Maharashtrians.
— Shariq Alavi
Narrow politics
• When regional political parties grew in independent India, they were appreciated as needy spokespersons of regional aspirations that were not adequately addressed by the national parties. For many years the Congress was the only recognisable national party. The only effective counterpart, the BJP, made a mess of its acceptance by the electorate, believing that the Indian citizen really wants a Ram Mandir exactly at the place where Babri Masjid stood and that the majority really wanted Hindu Rashtra.
It was not, it is not and it will not be the case.
Unfortunately regional parties have proliferated — some with a narrower mindset and agenda. “Maharashtra for Marathis” is one unfortunate fallout of this.
— B.G. Prakash
Bangalore
Game theory
• It is good to see neglected Indian sports like golf now gaining prestige. The first major tournament of its kind in India, Indian Masters will not only attract sponsors, but also boost the morale of budding golfers and give them an opportunity to compete with the best in the world. Golfers like Shiv Chowrasia who won the Indian Masters have set an example for others.
We can only hope that the same incentive and initiative are taken for other sports like athletics and football. India has abundant talent, if only the shortsighted sports authorities would let them flourish.
— Aniket Singh
Mohali
