The resurrection of the Ram Mandir issue by the Bharatiya Janata Party is an indication that one can expect communal harmony to sour once more, just when one thought that things had settled. As one can expect a stirring up of emotions, voters must ponder over this and criticise such efforts. The hold that religion has over politics must be broken and independent and rational thinking must develop in the minds of the populace.
Dinesh Kumar,
New Delhi
The principal Opposition party is again trying to revive the Ram Mandir issue in its desperate attempt to polarise voters on religious lines and win the ensuing general election. While the Gujarat Chief Minister can be expected to spearhead the development plank (card) to mobilise the rich and neo-middle class, second level chieftains like Amit Shah can be expected to focus on the Ram temple issue in order to garner votes among the middle and uneducated classes. The leopard does not seem to have changed its spots.
The U.S. is a superpower, Europe has made progress in many spheres and China is an economic giant because they do not have trivial, petty and insignificant issues to haunt their population. Indian leaders need to focus on inclusive progress, and this is the lesson for the BJP.
M.Y. Shariff,
Chennai
