Border crisis
THERE can be no two opinions that the face-off at the Sikkim border between India and China is not desirable for any of the stakeholders, be it India, China or Bhutan (Cover Story, August 4). The silver lining in the cloud is that both India and China are seized of this grim reality despite the muscle-flexing. The dispassionate assessment of the ground realities in the Cover Story wistfully remind readers of the adage “Good fences make good neighbours”. Conciliations and compromises are nothing to be ashamed of but are diplomacy’s time-tested tools.
Ayyaseri Raveendranath, Aranmula, Kerala
CHINA must understand that this is not 1962 and that arm-twisting tactics will not work any more. China cannot bully India into accepting its terms while it goes about disturbing the status quo in disputed territories. Such tactics will only precipitate matters. The time has come for both China and India to engage with each other and work out a lasting and acceptable solution to the impasse.
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad, Telangana
CHINA has maintained an aggressive approach against all its neighbours ever since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. It treats Pakistan like a colony. In Doklam, it has violated the status quo, which is the only face-saving solution. In such circumstances, India has to counter China not only economically and politically but also militarily.
It is a dangerous sign that China has encroached on all its 16 neighbours without firing a single bullet. The nation should support the Narendra Modi government on the Doklam standoff. Or else Bhutan will become another Tibet.
Sushil Kumar, Aurangabad, Bihar
CHINA is working hand in glove with Pakistan as it has an eye on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It supports Pakistan on the Kashmir issue too. China’s attitude towards India has not changed since the 1962. Even Prime Minister Modi’s visit did not bring about any change in China’s attitude towards India.
Mahesh Kapasi, New Delhi
Kiran Bedi
THE controversial actions of Kiran Bedi, the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, smack of a total disregard for democratic norms (”Running amok”, August 4). Her excesses cannot be brushed aside as arising from her ignorance of Article 240, which governs Puducherry. Her mission to echo her master’s voice sometimes misses the mark, earning ridicule. Her swearing in of three persons belonging to the BJP as Members of the Legislative Assembly reminded one of the foul play witnessed in Goa and Manipur. It is unfortunate that the BJP is no different from the Congress in using Governors to destabilise elected governments.
C. Chandrasekaran, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Hindu Rashtra
THE Supreme Court has pronounced unequivocally several times that secularism is a fundamental concept of the Constitution, but the RSS and other Hindutva groups are striving to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra (Cover Story, July 21). Concerted attempts are being made in this direction after Modi and Yogi Adityanath came to power at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh respectively. The conclave held in Goa recently reinforced the idea. This ideology manifests itself in unbridled violence against Muslims in the name of protecting cows, and the governments at the Centre and in BJP-ruled States turn a blind eye to this brutality.
N.C. Sreedharan, Kannur, Kerala
MANY tragedies and transgressions are happening in the name of cow protection. The articles explained the situation that the minority communities, especially Muslims, face in India. I hope that the voice of the minorities is heard.
Muhammed Adil K., Kannur, Kerala
FRONTLINE has risen to the occasion by taking up the cudgels against the fascist forces that are desperately trying to smash the nation. The economic forces that are driving the fascist Hindu Rashtra agenda ought be exposed. The spread of communalism, the pervasiveness of a “false consciousness” and the failure of the Left and liberal forces to fight the spectre of communalism deserve exhaustive scrutiny so that an effective strategy to fight communalism can be formulated. One expects Frontline to take up these aspects in forthcoming issues.
Purushuttam Roy Barman, Kawsik Nath and Pradyot Maishan, High Court of Tripura, Agartala
Osmania University
THE century-old Osmania University may not be the only institution in India facing such gross neglect as brought out in the article “Glorious past, perilous present” (July 21). Several others across the country face the same fate. Apart from financial and infrastructural deficiencies, the main reason for such a degradation of our institutions of higher learning is the politicisation of our campuses.
Anil Kumar Yadav, Gangtok
Justice Karnan
THE Justice C.S. Karnan episode is the last straw on the camel’s back, taking away the sheen and aura of the judiciary (“Justice without fairness”, June 9). People’s faith in the judiciary as the last hope in Indian democracy has been lost. Complete transparency in all the affairs of the judiciary and the scrapping of the colonial-era Contempt of Courts Act are measures that can restore its lost prestige. Contempt of court can be dealt with using other laws.
M.N. Bhartiya, Alto-Porvorim, Goa
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