Opinion Confusion reigns
Shekhar Guptas Annationalism was an impressive piece.
Confusion reigns
* Shekhar Guptas Annationalism (IE,September 3) was an impressive piece. But the problem is that its all getting a bit too academic for people. What will truly reduce corruption and why is the government not throwing up some good ideas? Even the sports bill was diluted. No one is focusing on the issue. Were talking about aspects of the movement,Anna Hazare,parliamentary process,democracy,and so on. But its all about the C word really! Even in Parliament,a lot of the talk in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was on the above mentioned issues,with Lalu Prasad even bothering to trivialise the entire issue. If no one listens then I think more and more people will swing to the other side. Right now,quite a few people are still sceptical.
All movements against the status quo use extremism. Bra-burning feminism caught the medias fancy. If its not extreme its boring and no one is interested. If it wasnt so radical,no one would even be bothered. Not even you. I loved the line about the Dalit girl. Neither looked Dalit or Muslim to me,just regular girls. I realise the bill is pending so there is not much to say about it,but we know that Lokpal or Jan Lokpal will not reduce corruption,and the point is whether the government is really bothered,irrespective of fringe movements. Do they want to govern well or even be perceived to be a good government? From where I am sitting,I really dont know.
Naheed Carrimjee,Mumbai
Fault lies with us
* In Annationalism,Shekhar Gupta echoed what some of us might be worried about after the hype about Anna Hazares protest. The lack of rational thinking in the media was shocking,but not as much as some inflammatory statements made by members of Hazares team and news anchors. If we have chosen corrupt people,its our choice and we have to own responsibility. If weve failed to interact and intervene regularly with our politicians,whose fault is it but ours? If weve allowed corruption to grow,and sat back passively and grumbled instead of using legal recourse,why blame the system?
Suren Abreu,Mumbai
Nothing wrong
* Surely,the Tricolour was not waved nor Vande Mataram invoked to fight our parliamentarians either by Team Anna or the masses (and not the mob),as supposed by Shekhar Gupta,but to fight the national cancer of corruption and secure a reliable and effective institution of the Lokpal. If the cause is noble and patriotic,whats wrong in appealing to the patriotic sentiments of the people? Hazares movement was long overdue and the popular response was spontaneous and genuine. Its unfair to call it Bollywood-style hyper-nationalism.
B.B.Vedak,Pune
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