All political leaders take turns to churn Uttar Pradesh (“The Iron Lady under siege,” March 5). When the Samajwadi Party came to power, the crime rate soared and when the Bahujan Samaj Party was voted to power, Mayawati became busy making her future plans — and making history for herself by putting up her statues.
No party cares for the pathetic condition of the people of U.P. People were starving in Lucknow and Noida while Ms Mayawati spent money recklessly. Why was she worried only about Dalits, not other deprived sections? Why is Mulayam Singh Yadav focussing on Muslims, leaving out Dalits?
Javed Siddique,
Aligarh
I am frustrated and disappointed at the extent to which the politics of caste and religion has eaten into our secular democracy. The phrase “Four Muslims, two Hindus” is reflective of the malaise. When one caste is favoured in one regime and another in a different regime, how can we expect the law to prevail? There will always be a group of annoyed people. The question is not which party wins; it is how it wins. Only then can a government function without any influence or pressure.
V. Krishna Kumar,
Chennai
The attack on Ms Mayawati's regime by the upper castes is a result of mainstream mechanism — which includes mainstream media. The media are not ready to accept the elevation of the backward sections. They are scared of the upward mobility of educated Dalits in the political system.
S. Nidheesh,
Puducherry
Speculation and predictions are flying thick and fast on the eve of election results. The battle in U.P. is definitely multipronged, with a large canvas being shared by the BSP and the SP. The State is a singular case of accelerated political expectations. A possible shift in the BSP's fortunes may lead to a hung Assembly. A clear majority for arch rival SP seems a far cry.
Sunil Kumar,
Delhi
The result, in all probability, will be a vote against the social engineering orchestrated by Ms Mayawati in the last Assembly election. It is time for Rahul Gandhi to introspect on what went wrong. Rolling up one's kurta sleeves and tearing off papers to make a point are of no use in the absence of a strong party organisation and grassroots level workers. If the Congress does not change its attitude, its revival in U.P. or other parts of the country will not be possible.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas,
Palakkad
