Reports of the huge gathering at the funeral of a militant in south Kashmir and of militants offering a ‘gun salute’ must make us ponder (“Militants offer ‘gun salute’ at comrade’s funeral in Valley”, May 8). This singular incident unmistakably confirms that a large segment of the population in Kashmir has undergone an ideological change and will no longer toe the Centre’s line. How are we going to win back their hearts? It is most unfortunate that the gun culture has made its way into Kashmiri hearts. India’s task is clearly cut out.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
The spirit of 1967
A letter writer (“Letters to The Editor” – “The spirit of 1967”, May 8), apart from writing the usual right-wing rhetoric — of secularists being appeasers of minorities — commits a serious factual mistake — branding the entire 2004-2014 UPA rule as one of megascams. It is of course true that the scams of the last two years of the erstwhile regime were a disaster but the first eight years of that period were a success story as far as international agreements and successful poverty reduction programmes are concerned. Also, the GDP increases of that period have not been matched even in the three years of the present dispensation.
T. Ramachandran,
Thrissur, Kerala
