Political tussle
A Prime Minister who is reluctant to find time to speak about Manipur has predictably sensed an issue of electoral dividend — by holding forth on Sanatana Dharma versus the INDIA bloc. Manipur is battling inequality, segregation, and hatred precisely as a result of the divisive prescription of the caste system that has been the bane of the country. The silence of the vast majority of our countrymen, the cynicism of seeing every conflict as a power game, robs us of our moral high ground on the international stage. One can only rue the carnage, feeling as William Wordsworth did, saying, ‘And much it grieved my heart to think. What man has made of man’.
R. Thomas Paul,
Bengaluru
It is not clear what the ruling regime’s ‘net gain’ will be by alleging that the INDIA bloc has some “hidden agenda” against Sanatana Dharma. It would be better to put a full stop to this entire issue.
A. Venkatasubramanian,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
It is unsurprising that the ruling party at the Centre and the Prime Minister are still cashing in on the Sanatana Dharma controversy presented to them on a platter by a leader in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. While this controversy may have served the political interests of the DMK in Tamil Nadu, it is important for the party to consider the broader ramifications of such remarks for the INDIA alliance, whose members are spread across the rest of the country. Those who constitute the INDIA alliance should exercise restraint and display greater prudence with their comments and actions if they wish to present a formidable challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Michael Jom,
Thiruvananthapuram
The controversial utterances by a Minister in the DMK have given a strong platform for the BJP to attack the entire INDIA bloc. It is time that the other INDIA bloc leaders rein in such statements lest it affect the bloc’s prospects.
N. Viswanathan,
Coimbatore
Those in the thick of the debate on Sanatana Dharma must remember the words of former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee who advised a political leader to “Do your Rajdharma” as Chief Minister, which the individual failed to do. If “Sanatana represents values”, let the political leader in question practise love (not hatred), equality (not discrimination against minorities, Dalits), and unity (not uniformity).
George Mlakuzhyil,
New Delhi
I wish the row over Sanatana Dharma would stop for the time being. India has several other problems for debate and discussion.
S.K. Vijayan,
Alappuzha, Kerala
A sign of privatisation
It might be the acknowledgment of ‘reality’, but doing away with the provisions in clause 4 of the extant Indian Post Office Act (1898) is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater so far as the Postal Department in India is concerned. Not too long ago, the presentation of the central Budget was keenly watched for any announcement on the pricing of postcards and inland letter cards as a litmus test of the Budget being people-oriented. With the new Post Office Bill 2023 empowering the department head to make regulations related to activities and products including their pricing, this is a sure sign that the intent of the Centre is to either corporatise or privatise the Postal Department, which will lead to its euthanasia.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath,
Aranmula, Kerala
