With Narendra Modi assuming leadership as the BJP’s election campaign committee, we find that all other leaders of the party have taken a back seat, giving the Gujarat Chief Minister the chance to carry on with anti-Congress propaganda. Mr. Modi has every right to say what he wants but he should understand that there is an equal, if not more, number of Indians who want a BJP and RSS-free India.
Mr. Modi should showcase his achievements and highlight his party’s priorities instead of indulging in negative propaganda. Unless, of course, he sees attacks on the Congress and the Nehru -Gandhi family as his main weapons of electioneering.
J. Dasgupta,
Coimbatore
Volumes have been written decrying Mr. Modi and his methods, and volumes on his contribution to building Gujarat. His recent remark that he would have been sorry for even a puppy coming under the wheels of his car (in the context of the Gujarat riots) has exposed him. A leopard cannot change its spots; nor can Mr. Modi his animosity towards the minorities.
As long as he is influenced by the RSS and the VHP, he cannot represent India. We recently saw how even a leader of L.K. Advani’s stature was forced to eat his words by Modi supporters. My generation rejoiced at India’s independence. It does not want to see the country fragmenting on communal basis.
V. Paul Rajaiah,
Thoothukudi
As we went past the 110th birth anniversary of Kamaraj, I could not help noticing the strikingly dissimilar traits between him and Mr. Modi. Kamaraj refused to be a prime-ministerial candidate as he thought he lacked the ability to speak the language that could unite (“No English, No Hindi. How?”)
Mr. Modi, on the other hand, affirms that he is a “Hindu nationalist.” This attitude will certainly not work in a country which is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and secular. If Mr. Modi has to learn anything from Kamaraj, it is this: shed the Hindutva image or forget about becoming India’s Prime Minister.
Sounthar Kanthasami,
Kovilpatti
