Bring change, sans communism
Though I do not agree with everything that Kobad Ghandy said, I found your cover story on the Maoist poster boy insightful (‘Left & write’, March 21). Ghandy’s commitment to the poor has to be appreciated. He has sacrificed his personal life for the ideology that he believes in. We need more people like Ghandy today. But it is not advisable to bring change through violent means.
Also, it is time we introspected whether we actually need communism to serve those in need or to do more for deprived sections of society. So many people who do not believe in the communist ideology are tirelessly working for the poor.
Socialism and communism are no longer what they used to be. The few remaining communist countries are communist only in name. Nobody follows communism the way it was envisioned and preached by people like Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
K.V. Prasad,
On email.
The prison memoir of Ghandy, narrating his experiences in various prisons with hardcore criminals and Afzal Guru, speaks of a hard bent of mind.
Ghandy’s candid admission that communism did not totally abandon capitalism even in China, and that instead of fighting against social inequality there should be fight to ensure happiness for all speaks of the mellowed outlook of the hardcore Maoist.
B. Gurumurthy,
On email.
Cheers are not votes
In her column, Shobhaa De said Mamata Banerjee has made a career out of making everybody else dance to her tune (‘Didi, Dada and Disco Dancer’, March 21). Now, let Mamata and Mithun Chakraborty dance to the tune of the masses.
The BJP in West Bengal is inviting some popular personalities to join the party. There is no harm there, but the BJP should be cautious not to make itself a dustbin for turncoats from other parties.
It is wrong if people enter politics for self-benefit and not as a service to society. No doubt, there are corrupt politicians who should be ousted. So, politics should be reserved for people who sacrifice themselves for the well-being of the nation.
T.V. Jayaprakash,
On email.
BJP’s prestige battle
It has become a prestige battle of sorts for the BJP in West Bengal; a loss here will become a major embarrassment for the party (‘Ticket tales’, March 21).
I was not aware that Prashant Kishor and Abhishek Banerjee had a bigger say in the selection of candidates this time. If the BJP wins Bengal, it will the biggest radical shift in state politics in the country in recent times. If the BJP can conquer Bengal, it can conquer every other state in the country.
Vismay Mathur,
On email.
Time will tell
‘Tactical time out’ was appropriately titled (March 21). V.K. Sasikala’s temporary withdrawal depicts the following:
• She has less control over T.T.V. Dhinakaran’s Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, as Dhinakaran is highly ambitious.
• The opportune time for Sasikala would be post elections, that too only if the AIADMK loses. If that happens, the AIADMK will get fragmented and a few MLAs may reflect on their former loyalty to Sasikala. It cannot be forgotten that most of the elected MLAs in the current EPS cabinet were interviewed by Sasikala during J. Jayalalithaa’s regime.
• By withdrawing from active politics, Sasikala has proved that their common enemy, the DMK, should be defeated, the sole aim of her mentor Jayalalithaa.
Only time will tell whether these narrations are true, and, if so, to what extent.
G. Venkatakuppuswamy,
On email.
Sasikala’s decision to stay away from politics has surprised us all. Either she has been threatened by the BJP to keep quiet during the elections, or she is waiting till May 2 to reclaim her position.
Ravindran M.K.,
On email.
Where is the line?
Reading the two articles linked to the arrest of activist Disha Ravi (‘Digital Detox’ and ‘A thousand Dishas will rise up’, March 7), I was uncertain if the line between sedition and right to speech were blurring since the Delhi Police is unable to provide solid evidence indicting Disha. Was it a way to warn others that they should not ‘misstep’? It is disheartening to see a clear-eyed environmentalist being arrested for supporting farmers.
Joan Marion,
On email.