Master strategist
BJP president Amit Shah is a master strategist and he will do everything possible to give the Narendra Modi-led NDA government one more term (‘Modi ji is contesting from every seat in the country’, April 14). The general elections will be of great significance for Shah and Modi. If they win decisively, it will be very difficult to stop the juggernaut of the BJP for another five to ten years.
Even if the BJP loses the election, I do not think Shah will leave the grip he has over the party. Modi and he will continue to call the shots.
Ranjan Nandangopal,
Chennai.
It is election time and most politicians, including Shah, are very busy. Except the BJP, no other party is thinking about their ability or durability. The opposition is only interested in toppling the Modi government and not about the stability of the next government.
Ashok Nihalani
On email.
Despite being a Rajya Sabha MP, Shah has filed his nomination from the Gandhinagar constituency. This shows what is in store in the BJP in the coming days.
Shah, most probably, will succeed Modi. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, L.K. Advani was labelled communal. When Modi stepped in, Advani became the icon, and Modi the dictator. This will go on.
S.V. Vijayan,
Bengaluru.
The statement by Shah that Modi is contesting in every seat exposes his sycophancy. It shows how dependent the BJP is on Modi. In fact, such statements are an insult to every BJP candidate contesting in the Lok Sabha elections.
So, going by what Shah said, can we assume that if a BJP candidate loses anywhere, then Modi, too, has lost there?
D.B.N. Murthy,
Bengaluru.
Shah is more at ease as an organisation man than as a popular politician. And, somehow, he is the perfect foil for Modi, the mass leader. Shatrughan Sinha was not wide off the mark when he succinctly called the BJP as “one man rule and two men army”.
It is possible, if not probable, that the NDA might retain power with a reduced margin.
Raveendranath A.,
On email.
If there is one leader who has Modi’s ear, it is Shah.
That Shah has stepped into the shoes of none other than Advani shows the kind of clout he wields in the party.
C.V. Aravind,
On email.
In your cover story, there is a picture of Shah being frisked before boarding the aircraft. If national security was such a key theme, shouldn’t Shah have been frisked inside the airport, like other passengers, rather than in a special enclosure on the tarmac? Who is Shah trying to impress here?
Ratna Manucha,
On email.
The BJP has shifted its focus to hyper-nationalism, ultra-nationalism, security issues, threats from Pakistan, and the success of our security forces to divert voter’s attention from other issues that are staring them in the face. But people know the truth. They will not forget the unfulfilled promises made by Modi in 2014.
Now, the BJP is again brainwashing people by making fresh promises in its manifesto.
M.Y. Shariff,
On email.
On a weak wicket
The riots in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, in 2013 led to the BJP’s rise in the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections (‘Divide and woo’, April 14).
The electorate in Muzaffarnagar is still divided, it seems. But this time it will be advantage for the BSP-SP-RLD combine, as the anti-BJP votes will consolidate. It was only after reading your report that I got to know that the BJP MLA Sangeet Som had an assured Lok Sabha ticket, which was overturned at the last minute. So, if the supporters of Balyan and Som are at variance, then it is a foregone conclusion that RLD chief Ajit Singh will win Muzaffarnagar.
Nikhil Sharma,
On email.
Young and fit
Madhuri Dixit Nene looks so gracious even at 52. Happy to know that she is acting in so many films these days, where she plays one of the leads (‘Picture perfect’, April 14). I even heard that dance is a part of Madhuri’s fitness regimen for years, and I believe that keeps her fit.
Madhuri’s aura will not diminish anytime soon. She is one of the most talented women actors we have in the country.
P.K. Sivadasan,
On email.
On the way out
I thank Meenakshi Lekhi for listing an eight-point report card for Narendra Modi, that will definitely dissuade the electorate from voting for the BJP government in the Lok Sabha elections (‘Forthwrite’, April 7). Anyone who goes through these points will be very quick to come to the conclusion that almost all parameters mentioned are false and despicably disputable.
It is a blatant lie that the living standards of the disadvantaged sections of the population have improved, and that government schemes and services have been delivered to all targeted segments. Her assertion of creation of opportunities for livelihood is quite nauseating, as we know how people, who were earlier engaged in small and medium industries for their livelihood, have been thrown to the streets after the implementation of the GST.
We know where our nation stands on the economic front today and Lekhi’s boast about figures falls flat.
With the murky and dubious Rafale deal, the mother of all corruptions, to its credit, the BJP has no right to talk about corruption.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
On email.