It is a fact that communal violence is spreading (“ >Politics without the minorities ,” Sept.5). Although the Modi government has rolled out a number of plans in these 100 days, most of the beneficiaries fall in the majoritarian group. It is 67 years since Independence, but why do people forget that Hindus and Muslims fought equally for Independence? India will not develop unless we treat each other equally. Until then, “ achche din ” will only be a daydream and a piece of rhetoric.
Sunil Hembram,
Nadia, West Bengal
The article compels us to think about our constitutional values of secularism, or to put it in more simple terms, on the theory of impartiality to all religions. However, we have to accept the fact that this rhetoric of a theory of secularism is hardly followed in spirit. Being the head of the government, Narendra Modi needs to be more accountable to the people.
Arvind Singh Chauhan,
Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
The majoritarian politics being played by the BJP, by combining development with a Hindutva agenda, is thriving not because of the party’s efforts but because people who are in the majority are giving legitimacy to it. The sweeping of the Lok Sabha poll in the Hindi hinterland is an example.
Divyank Singh,
Bhopal
Zoya Hasan has rightly pointed out that those who are a majority in a democracy should take care of the interests of the minorities; further, their actions should not create any fear in their minds. Concern for the minorities should not be based on religion, but on the need to integrate them into the mainstream so that they too can progress economically.
K.T. Krishnaswami,
Chengalpattu
In an environment of increasing polarisation, the BJP-RSS need to learn some lessons from the past. People sometimes usher in a change in democracy because of the simple reason of change. The Modi wave was based on the need for economic change, development and good governance. With so many promises unfulfilled, the BJP has many issues to focus on. Promoting religious enmity is not one of them.
Sumit Sharma,
Ludhiana
Present-day Indian democracy can be defined as exclusive democracy. But our democracy has always been the same thing. We celebrated our diversity and multicultural idea only in speeches and words. In the name of democracy, we have been denying the less privileged their right to live on their own lands. Forests and rivers have always been mere “resources” for our democracy. And our democracy has been blind to the rights of wildlife, the tribal people and the poor. What happened in the 2014 election doesn’t represent a new development; it is only the logical evolution of our exclusive and oppressive democracy.
Sukumaran C.V.,
Palakkad
The preamble to the Constitution starts with the words, “We the people of India ....” The question of a majority and a minority for the purposes of vote bank politics is absurd. Politicians must focus on bringing the minorities into the mainstream.
Jashandeep Kaur Ahluwalia,
Chandigarh
