AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s announcement that he is ready to take on the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, in Varanasi may well lead to the mother of all electoral battles (March 17). For the past few weeks, Mr. Kejriwal’s strategy has been to attack the BJP where it hurts the most. His recent visit to Gujarat to survey the ground realities there, and his criticism of the BJP’s decision to grant the ticket to tainted candidates in Karnataka, may well expose the saffron party’s double standards and the hype around issues such as development and fighting corruption. The media too may be inadvertently helping Mr. Kejriwal. By attacking his strategies using terms like “drama” and “theatrics,” a section of the media may indeed be playing into the hands of the bigger political parties.
Sharad Basawanni,Bangalore
The extreme position taken by a reader in this column (first letter on March 18), under the headline “Taking on Modi,” was surprising. AAP never claimed that the Delhi election gave it a mandate to govern. Is there anything wrong in holding a rally to gauge people’s support? Is that not one of the important purposes of all rallies held by various parties? People come to AAP rallies on their own — not for payment or by using free transport arranged by parties. There is a groundswell of support for the AAP among people who do not read English newspapers and those who do need to take note of this.
The AAP should not be identified with individuals, as the Congress, BJP, BSP, RJD, SP, JD(U), TMC, LJP, AIADMK, DMK and so on are. It is ‘my party’.
A. Ramachandran,Ottapalam, Kerala
Standing for an election from two constituencies involves issues of political and administrative morality. Mr. Kejriwal’s expression of readiness to face Mr. Modi has only added fuel to the fire. If the AAP convener decides to contest in Gujarat as well, the problem becomes more complicated for Mr. Modi and his party. Though fighting from Varanasi is described as a “strategic move” to create a positive impact in U.P. and Bihar, it may be a risk-prone strategy.
P.R.V. Raja,Pandalam, Kerala
