While the verdicts in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa dealt a stunning blow to the Congress, Manipur and Uttarakhand offered some solace to it (Election shocks, Cover Story, April 6). The charisma of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka failed to garner votes for the Congress.
The positive campaign of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh Yadav pushed the BSP to the second place and the BJP to a point of no return. Mayawati's dictatorial style of functioning and corruption led to her downfall.
Similarly, the drubbing received by the BJP in U.P. is a clear pointer to the reality that ultra-nationalism and hate speeches will no longer work because the educated classes do not feel that it can represent them. The party should do some soul-searching.
K.R. Srinivasan SecunderabadSonia Gandhi'S failure to distinguish between selfless and self-serving leaders has caused irreparable damage to her party. The Congress created a euphoria over youth power to justify the induction of Rahul Gandhi as a leader but, in the process it squandered the opportunity it got after the 15th Lok Sabha elections. The defeat of the Congress in Rae Bareli and Amethi is a clear signal that dynastic rule is nearing its end in India.
In contrast, the S.P. chief has managed to install his son as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in a hassle-free manner. When Mayawati, foreseeing defeat in the elections, passed a resolution in the Assembly providing for the division of Uttar Pradesh, the S.P. opposed the proposal vehemently. National parties such as the Congress and the BJP did not take a clear stand on the issue.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas Palakkad, KeralaRahul Gandhi used every trick in the book to win over the people of Uttar Pradesh, but they rejected him. It is true that they welcomed him to their homes, listened to him and raised slogans in support of him. But when the time came to act, they voted him out.
Sushil Kumar Aurangabad, BiharBoth the BSP and the Congress lost because they are corrupt (Reverse sweep, Cover Story). Infighting and the absence of a strong leader cost the BJP dearly. The S.P. cornered the Muslim vote by promising doles to Muslim girls and 18 per cent reservation. People have reposed faith in the S.P. in the hope that it will not repeat its earlier mistakes.
But the induction of Raja Bhaiya as Minister for Prisons is a cause for concern. Akhilesh should not divide the State on caste basis to retain power.
Sravana Ramachandran ChennaiThe victory of the S.P. is not merely on account of Akhilesh's presence and team work. Mulayam Singh travelled extensively and managed to win the support of maulvis and gram pradhans. One cannot forget the fact that Mulayam Singh rose from the ashes of the Ayodhya movement.
Pathikrit Chakraborty VaranasiThe people of Uttar Pradesh have voted for change. The victory of Akhilesh Yadav is a vote for youth and modernity.
At the same time, the rise of regional parties at the cost of national parties points to a new kind of politics in which narrow regional interests will prevail over national interests.
Uttam K. Bhowmik Tamluk, West BengalLong ago, former Defence Minister George Fernandes had rightly said that the Congress cannot do anything for the country because it is not a political party. It is a power machine that relies on money, dynastic politics and state power to keep it going.
Siddhartha Shankar Mishra Sambalpur, OdishaUnion BudgetNo Budget is beneficial for the common man as each year it increases their financial burdens (The price of reform, April 6). It recovers more taxes and gives little concessions in return. The increase in service tax and excise duties will affect the common man. The Budget is not at all growth-oriented.
Mahesh Kapasi New DelhiFinance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has vowed to stimulate domestic demand but has raised indirect taxes to a level that can only have an immobilising effect. Yet, the Finance Minister's effort is not without positive elements. The bold, retrospective law to tax deals such as the one between Hutch and Vodafone, and the proposal for direct delivery of subsidies are some examples.
K.S. Jayatheertha BangaloreRailwaysFormer Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi rose above parochial populism to present a bold Budget but his sincere efforts to rescue the Railways incurred the wrath of his party supremo (Red signal, April 6).
The Railways need an overhaul in terms of safety, security and modernisation to set right its crumbling infrastructure. Train coaches are worn out and lack basic amenities. Former Railway Minister Gulzari Lal Nanda used to travel in second-class sleeper coaches to get a first-hand experience of the difficulties faced by passengers. Railway Ministers do not do that now.
Jayant Mukherjee KolkataJinnahJinnah is not venerated in India because he is projected as the key figure behind India's Partition (In Jinnah's defence, April 6). But BJP leader Jaswant Singh pointed out that Jinnah's opposition was not to Hindus but to the Congress. Jinnah, who was a member of the Indian National Congress for two decades, left it because he felt that Gandhi's use of Hindu symbolism would encourage religious zealotry in politics. Jinnah's cosmopolitanism can be gauged from his secular, westernised way of life.
A. Yeshuratnam ThiruvananthapuramKazmiIt is unfortunate that the government has targeted journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi under international pressure (Kafkaesque ordeal?, April 6).
A mediaperson cannot be victimised by the state merely because he worked in countries such as Iraq, Iran and Syria that have turbulent relations with the West and the U.S.
Neeraj Kumar Jha Madhubani, BiharRahul DravidWith the retirement of Rahul Dravid, Indian cricket has become poorer (Purist & gentleman, April 6). He was a person who thought more about his team's success than about his own record. He never hesitated to be the opening batsman or the wicketkeeper when the need arose. His three centuries in 2011 against England were simply remarkable.
Surely, there cannot be another Rahul Dravid.V. Krishnamoorthy MaduraiIt was inevitable, and certainly not unexpected. Yet Dravid's departure from Test and first-class cricket brings a lump to the throat. His retirement removes from the sports arena a figure who never, not once, failed to adhere to the highest standards of the game.
J.S. Acharya HyderabadA pillar of the team for almost two decades, Dravid was perfection personified and had a perfect blend of talent, technique and temperament. The accolades pouring in from various quarters speak volumes about his personality. The gentleman's game has truly lost a gentleman cricketer.
B. Suresh Kumar CoimbatoreDravid'S retirement marks the end of an era. Despite the monumental records he had set, Dravid was a picture of humility and grace. He has chosen the correct time to call it quits.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan Srirangam, Tamil naduBorobudurThe article Ode to harmony by Sudha Mahalingam (April 6) made interesting reading. The photographs were impressive too. The kings of the Srivijaya empire who built that grand edifice were perhaps not wrong in believing that the volcano would preserve, rather than destroy, its grand monument to the Buddha. The Buddhas in the Borobudur temple complex are in a beautiful sitting posture, having usnisha, tilak on the forehead, elongated ears and other iconographical features.
Dr B. Jambulingam ThanjavurDow and BhopalN.D. Jayaprakash'S article was informative and thought-provoking (Dow at the Games, March 23). No right-thinking Indian can forgive Union Carbide Corporation or Dow Chemical Company, which bought UCC knowing fully well the former's culpability in the Bhopal gas tragedy.
G. Anuplal BangaloreCorrectionIn the graph titled Political representation of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh published with article Whither identity politics? (April 6), the figures for Muslims as a percentage of legislators' and for Muslims as a percentage of party candidates' got interchanged.
In the article French conquest (March 23), the cost of the Rafale jet fighter was given (on page 48) as around $5 million a unit instead of around $50 million.
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