Dharna politics
It is all okay for Anna Hazare to protest against the government if he finds anything illogical or against the interest of any section of people in the policies of government. Everybody knows that Hazare does not have any political ambition. He protested against rising corruption during the UPA tenure. He is opposing the present dispensation at Centre on the issue of the land Act amendments. When Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi voiced their support for Hazare in his fight against the amendments, Hazare replied saying that they were free to join in the fight against the Land Bill. But he had categorically ruled out sharing of podium with Kejriwal or Gandhi. But Kejriwal shared the stage with Hazare. Rahul Gandhi has absented himself from attending to the session at a time when his presence was badly needed. If Kejriwal has shared the stage with Hazare, it is not Hazare, but Kejriwal who should be blamed. The culture of staging dharnas and joining movements has not waned away from the mind of Kejriwal even though he has become the chief minister for the second time. Old habits die hard. Obviously, Kejriwal is not still reconciled to the role of governance. To make matter worse, all the 67 MLAs from AAP have followed him to sit in dharna.
KV Seetharamaiah
Hassan
Don’t smear Mother Teresa
The comment made by the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, with all arrogance and vengeance, against Mother Teresa—that she did everything to convert people to Christianity—will be rejected by all sane-thinking people. Can Bhagwat ever think of doing such a yeoman service as Mother Teresa did for the poor, the sick and the deserted—particularly, the lepers and the mentally retarded? Can he record one instance of having even touched a leper or ventured to cover the sore body of a leper in agony? To his nauseating comment against the Mother, the lepers and mentally retarded whom the Mother had taken care of during her life time or those who are being taken care of by her congregation alone can give a fitting reply. We should leave Bhagwat’s comment to for divine judgement and bury it fathoms deep, as one that has emanated from an unsound and perverted mind.
Yvonne Fernando
Chennai
Historic cities
This refers to your editorial ‘Science cities’(February 24). As an extension, we may need the government to earmark cities as ‘historic’, too. While science cities are ones that are to come up newly, these would be old ones with a historic significance. Gaya comes to mind immediately. The place where Buddha attained enlightenment is revered by people across the globe. Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is a great Shaivite pilgrimage town. The district (also called Thanjavur) has many Shaivite and Vaishnavite temples, held in high regard by people across the country and the world. Sri Lankan politicians throng the place, as do VIPs from Karnataka. But today, the place cries for attention from the government. Dwarka is a dusty little town today. So are Varanasi, Mathura and Ayodhya. Budget allocation for the upkeep of these towns need not be all that high. After all, it is about maintaining—not creating anew—infrastructure. All these cities are piles of gold, covered by dust. The job of cleaning them, per se, begets value: tourists coming in thousands to visit the place. Plus, the educational value of getting students to visit the place to understand our history/myths. What’s not to like?
Raghu Seshadri, Chennai
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