Opinion Letters to the editor: Friends turned foes

This refers to ‘Main hoon aam patrakar’ by Shekhar Gupta (IE, March 15).

March 19, 2014 12:49 AM IST First published on: Mar 19, 2014 at 12:49 AM IST

Friends turned foes
This refers to ‘Main hoon aam patrakar’ by Shekhar Gupta (IE, March 15). Gupta asked the right questions in his article. First, the media created a favourable perception of the AAP in the minds of the public by not asking it hard, fundamental questions about its policies. And now that the media has started asking these tough question, the AAP has been caught off guard. So, the party has simply changed tack — the target of its barbs is no longer just the politician-bureaucrat-industrialist nexus. It is now also targeting the media. It is time to teach the AAP what democracy truly means.
— Kunal Patil
Delhi

The media played an important role in the meteoric rise of the AAP. However, people are now realising that a movement without a core ideology cannot easily transform into a political party. The AAP’s main leaders also lack administrative experience. Now that the media is asking the party embarrassing questions, it has started attacking the fourth pillar of our democracy. The Indian Express is an exception. It used to be targeted as a doubter. We all know who is having the last laugh now.
— Shishir Sindekar
Nasik

Cousins at war

This refers to ‘Senas in combat’ by Girish Kuber (IE, March 18). There can be no denying the fact that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader, Raj Thackeray, has taken the wind out of the sails of his estranged cousin and Shiv Sena boss, Uddhav Thackeray, by unilaterally coming out in support of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, and strategically placing his candidates in Lok Sabha constituencies in which the Sena is fielding candidates. Raj has been rattling the Shiv Sena for quite some time, since the death of his mentor and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray. He has been exploiting every weakness of the soft-spoken Uddhav to forge ahead in the battle of the senas. While the Shiv Sena generally plays second fiddle to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in lieu of getting the lion’s share of the seats in the assembly elections, it now has the unenviable task of warding off Raj’s attack, which could intensify in the assembly elections at the end of the year. Also, its internal squabbles have begun to cost the Shiv Sena dear.
— C.V. Aravind
Bangalore

Exposed intentions
Apropos of the editorial ‘Trial by Varanasi’ (IE, March 17), Narendra Modi’s decision to contest from the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls gives him away. Whatever he may say publicly, he finds identity politics easier than governance- and development-based appeals.
— Hema
Langeri

# Letters to the editor