:: Letters to Editor

Indira gandhi: an iconic leader

Nov.05 : Sir, Twenty-five years after she was assassinated, Indira Gandhi remains an iconic presence in our collective consciousness. She is the only, and will be forever, Mrs Gandhi, India’s Iron Lady, the Durga of 1971, the "only man in her Cabinet". Resolute, combative and ruthless are some of the words often used about her. But the other side of her persona, fiercely nationalist on one hand and caring, sensitive and nature-loving on the other, rarely find equal prominence in her report card. It was, perhaps, the incredible popular support she commanded in the aftermath of the liberation of Bangladesh, preceded by bank nationalisation, abolition of privy purses and enactment of land ceiling laws, that lulled her into complacency. I don’t believe she was a dictator at heart, even if she was impatient with the political Opposition. India has learnt a lot from her failures, dealing with local insurgencies being one of them. In retrospect, Punjab wouldn’t have happened at all. But her temptation to use it to her electoral advantage persuaded her to first foment religious fundamentalism and then allow it to fester to a point where she thought she would be feted for affecting a smooth surgical operation. It didn’t happen quite that way and she paid for it.

Meghana. A

Via email

Stop communist propaganda

Sir, The term "love jihad", coined by the Sangh Parivar, is proving to be another tool to malign Muslims and disturb communal harmony. No wonder it has picked up momentum when the Goa bomb blast revealed involvement of Right-wing groups. It is high time that our civil, human rights and secular organisations intervene to uphold an individual’s rights and stop false propaganda.

Ruby Naushad

Via email

Keep Religion a private affair

Sir, Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil inviting the Satya Sai Baba of Puthparthi to their official residences for puja is a matter of great concern. While being religious in one’s personal life is a personal choice, the use of official premises for such functions is a violation of the values of the Indian Constitution. These politicians are a disgrace to the secular tradition of the country. The higher authorities must condemn these acts.

Ram Puniyani

Via email

Ask M.F. hUSAIN to come back

Sir, This is with reference to the news report Ready to return home if PC calls (November 1). It is high time that India calls back M.F. Husain. We pride ourselves on our acceptance of plurality and diverging views. Yet, we fail to provide a living legend the freedom of expression. His paintings, instead of being confined to the ones depicting nude goddesses, are varied and represent a cosmopolitan India. Those who long for Husain to return are more than some hired hands of political parties.

A. Hameed Yousuf

Via email

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Maharashtra awaits a govt

Sir, The result of the Maharashtra Assembly elections was declared long ago and yet the power tussle between the politicians of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is not. The Congress-NCP combine has not been "able" to form the government till date. Instead of serving selflessly, these people are unable to arrive at a power-sharing agreement.

Hansraj Bhat

Borivali (W), Mumbai