Vidya Subramaniam’s article (“Too scared to turn Left or Right,” Jan. 17) presents an excellent analysis of why political movements without an ideological base are bound to fail. No political party can survive for long without an ideology on political, economic and social aspects. If so many political parties, both at the national and regional level, still survive in this country, it is only because they have some ideological basis.
K.V. Ravindran,
Payyanur, Kerala
Ideology can never guarantee a clear mandate for a political party. On the contrary, it can become disastrous if it is in the hands of a ‘political humbug’. Philosophers like Hannah Arendt and Karl Popper have criticised ‘ideological tilt’, as it is an instrument of social control to ensure compliance and subordination. So the AAP is totally justified in its stance of having a ‘solution-based’ and pragmatic approach.
Pankaj Kumar Shah,
Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh
