Shekhar Guptas recall of the sad fate of the Congress,and of Nehru and Indira Gandhi,as a result of the leftward tilt in their policies,contains a timely warning (The Leftovers,IE,August 28). The post-Niyamgiri politics,being played by Rahul Gandhi,has warmed the hearts of Left ideologues. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has the image of a pro-poor,pro-tribal leader; but even his strong backing for the states development failed against the pinko charm.
M. Ratan
New Delhi
Reading through Shekhar Guptas The Leftovers,I see the matter as a long-lasting relationship between the Congress and the Left. While Gupta argues that the Congress has perfected the strategy of destroying the Lefts politics by renting and co-opting its ideologues,why cant it be viewed instead as the Left being shrewder than the Congress? Couldnt it be the Lefts programme of infiltrating its ideologues into the Congress during the recession,and the latter knowingly admitting them,hoping that the Left will be kept quiet? It opens out for different theories. But it needs to be remembered that this no love lost relation will continue only so far as the Congress is run by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Kedarnath R. Aiyar
Oh,China!
This refers to the editorial Peaceful provocation and the report Chinese chill sets in again (IE,August 28). Denial of a visa to Lt General B.S. Jaswal shows how China has been behaving ever since it began to be called a rising power. Weve been too soft on Chinese provocations,be it Arunachal Pradesh recently,or Sikkim sometime ago,and now J&K. Where does Beijing come into the picture vis-à-vis J&K as a disputed area? India has respected Beijings sensitivities on Tibet,the Dalai Lama or even the Olympic baton rally in New Delhi. Has China ever reciprocated? It has been blindly supporting Islamabad because decades ago
Pakistan ceded some territory in PoK to China. Selig S. Harrison vaguely notes this in The other Kashmir problem (IE,August 28),wherein he refers to Pakistan quietly handing over the controls in Gilgit-Baltistan to China. Can we hope that the Indian government will be firm in its dealings with Beijing?
Prasad Malladi
Nidadavole
Time and again,China has been needling India. All along,the Centre has been swallowing the bitter pills to avoid any escalation of the matter. Its time New Delhi called a spade a spade. China cant keep bullying in perpetuity. Continuous attempts are on to restrict important official visits to Arunachal as well as meetings with the Dalai Lama. Its encouraging that India has paid back in the same coin by refusing visa to two Chinese military personnel.
Deepak Chikramane
Mumbai
