Opinion Unlocking Kashmir
Balraj Puris take on the J&K turmoil is one more effort to break the logjam in the arena of public discourse (Rebellion without a cause,IE,August 12)....
Balraj Puris take on the J&K turmoil is one more effort to break the logjam in the arena of public discourse (Rebellion without a cause,IE,August 12). His references to events in Israel or Kosovo gives a certain nuance to the impasse. The Central security forces or the J&K police need to change their mind-sets,something that the British counter-insurgency force did in Malaysia in the late 40s. Their protective gear needs updating in consonance with technological advances,which helped the Israelis in containing the Intifada. Young students can tap the benefits of connectivity through Facebook,Twitter,etc,but their rage needs more potent safety valves. Their cry for azadi is nebulous and abstract,since the combination of history and geography doesnt facilitate in bringing this pipe-dream to a reality. More and more local politicians,bureaucrats and educationists must establish a line of communication with the young hotheads. Institutions cant be built overnight,but a tentative beginning has to be made to take the wind out of this rebellion which may reach a dead-end without any exit.
John Alexander Nagpur
Who cares?
The Indian media,more particularly the English-language media,has a penchant for highlighting issues,such as corruption in the Commonwealth Games build-up,the IPL controversy,the Indo-US relationship or Indo-Pak talks or Indias role in world affairs. While all this makes for great debate,one needs to consider whether these actually make a difference to the aam aadmi. I strongly believe the vast majority of Indians couldnt be bothered with these broad issues. Their voting behaviour is driven by a highly evolved and sophisticated combination of development issues and caste/ religion/ region concerns. Proof of that Gujarat keeps voting Modi in on a combination of development and Hindutva,Delhi has been governed by Sheila Dikshit for over a decade on the strength of visible development and a diverse cabinet. Similar examples can be seen all over India. There should be a survey to determine whether a villager on the outskirts of Madurai actually cares about Indo-Pak relations,or whether a tribal in Chhattisgarh is actually depressed over Suresh Kalmadis allegedly dubious role,or whether a young lower middle-class college student in Telangana could by any stretch of imagination be troubled by Indias failure to get onto the UNSC.
Mike Desai New Delhi
Protection pledged
Its heartening that the government has decided to introduce the whistleblower protection bill (Truth be told,IE,August 11). After the murders of Satyendra Dubey and Shanmugam Manjunath,the need to protect whistleblowers was badly felt. Whistleblowing plays a very important role because it has the potential to fill the lacunae in the RTI. No doubt,this bill is a morale booster for whistleblowers. This will inspire them to fight systemic corruption more effectively.
Manoj Parashar
Ghaziabad
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