Shaheed-e-Azam

Reference to the well-argued article  ‘Revisiting Bhagat Singh’s idea of India’ (March 22), on his 86th martyrdom day, of Bhagat Singh, there can be no better tribute to that 23-year-old revolutionary-cum-philosopher than to create the India of his dreams. Even at such a tender age his writings reflect the maturity of a man of wisdom and depth. The younger generation today has much to learn from him. Had he lived till grant of Independence, the country would have benefited to a large measure. It is the greatest tragedy that governments have not honoured the dreams and vision of our revolutionary patriots through real action which they contemplated in a free India, though their martyrdom days are observed. Through his life, conduct and message, he demonstrated that all men and women can be equal if hunger and problems of livelihood are addressed rightly; all religions must command equal respect as should agnostics and atheists; and if these issues were resolved, the country’s villages, towns and cities will grow and there will be real freedom. Shame we have forgotten those who fought for our freedom.

PARTHASARATHY SEN, New Delhi

Biased analysis 

In ‘Hindutva hits the high road’ (March 22) the writer has tried to analyse the BJP’s win in UP on expected lines. Like other intellectuals, he too stresses on no Muslim candidate and exclusion of 19 per cent population and so on. The media is the biggest culprit in the so-called religious polarisation. It finds faults in the victory of Hindu candidates even though they have followed a democratic process. Mediapersons who talk of secularism and Hindu-Muslim unity strangely can’t digest the idea of a united Hindu community. Pseudo-secular politicians are equally guilty of painting the appeasement policies of a party as secular credentials. Secularism means justice for all, appeasement for none. Let the BJP government get down to work and then analyse it. Similar things were written in 2014 about our PM and we perhaps have the best PM ever.

Yogesh Garg, New Delhi

Misinterpreting Yogi 

I disagree with the views expressed in ‘Hindutva hits the high road’. It brings forth the dislike for the BJP/RSS. The idea of painting the minorities as a victim and shifting the entire blame to the BJP just because Yogi is CM is wrong. The BJP agenda is depicted wrongly by raising irrelevant facts. Yogi has a clean and honest image. Not raising any real issues like corruption, unemployment and mismanagement, but attacking Yogi only because he is a Hindu, does not make sense. A small incident by some fringe elements in Bareilly cannot interpret the whole idea of a large national party like the BJP, and India. It draws a biased conclusion which raises questions about its objectivity. There would have been no uproar if the CM would have been from the minority community. Instead the elections would have been labelled as ‘secular’. Communal polarisation is not new in UP. Why was there silence on the Muslim-Dalit and Muslim-Yadav vote-bank consolidation by the BSP and the SP in the past decades?

Karan Singh Vinayak, Chandigarh

Unfair take

The article ‘Hindutva hits the high road’ is blatantly and viciously communal. All parties and leaders cater to the sentiments of their constituency. What is wrong if the BJP caters to its core constituency? If Muslims remain aloof from the BJP, the community itself is to be blamed for its marginalisation. The writer contradicts himself. If reverse polarisation does not alone explain the Muslim voting pattern, it means the ‘inclusion of the Muslim community from below’, as against the attempts by the so-called secular parties from above (Mayawati giving 99 tickets to Muslims). The need is for Hindu-Muslim co-existence in a cooperative framework, rather than in a confrontational perspective by fanning communal passions, as the writer does. This third generation of Muslims, post-Partition, does not look at Pakistan as their role model. 

Kastinder Johar, Palampur

Too soon to say

Apropos the editorial ‘Well begun’ (March 21) is an optimistic piece yet  politics has acquired such dishonest dimensions that it’s hard to believe the new CM’s inauguration declarations. His government’s performance in due course will reveal how well he has begun.  His good beginning itself is contradictory. He declares that the police and bureaucracy will be depoliticised, and then he himself transfers bureaucrats and senior police officers. What makes him believe that those working under the previous government would not be capable of implementing his government’s ideologies? This flaw prevails in our political system which suspects the integrity of bureaucrats and police officers. Politics can be refined and ‘well begun’ can remain a reality.

MPS Chadha, Mohali 

UP indeed backward 

In her assessment of Uttar Pradesh (‘UP need economic push’, March 21) the writer is right in her observations about the backwardness of the state. During my several trips to various districts of the state over four years, I observed that most towns are filthy with bumpy roads. Towns had irregular supply of power and water. The cottage industry is on the decline. Restaurants and hotels are not graded and the food and beverages are of poor quality, save a few places in Jhansi and Agra. The infrastructure in Jat-dominated western districts is abysmally low. UP produces a lot of power, soil quality in the Doab is excellent for crops and water is abundant and sweet — both underground and canal supply. The tourism department is lousy and bus service is rickety. Only good economic uplift can ensure creation of new infrastructure and better maintenance of the existing facilities. The districts comprising the Bundelkhand region may need special attention, particularly in respect of maintenance and accessibility to historically rich heritage sites.

Ranbir Singh, New Delhi

No way to behave 

It is indeed painful the way employees  and students’ unions are protesting against the former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala. The drama is highly condemnable. After the defeat of the Akali government, the VC tendered his resignation in no time on moral and ethical grounds. If the previous government wanted him to continue as VC where lies the fault of the incumbent? Further, if during his tenureship, the VC did something wrong, why was it not pointed out when he was in power? Slogan-shouting leaders should introspect their own contribution to the university.  

VK Anand, Patiala

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