PICTURE SPEAK

“Maya’s Magic”, May 21, 2007

“Mayawati has triumphed without the support of the media. This has made her the second most powerful woman in the world of Indian politics.”

S.D. Kumar, on e-mail

The Winning Formula

True to what her name stands for, Mayawati has pulled out a magic of sorts in Uttar Pradesh (“Maya’s Magic”, May 21). It now remains to be seen if her enchantment stays for a full tenure and the country gets good governance.

K. Chidanand Kumar, Bangalore

It’s ironic that people have voted for Mayawati, the same woman who was involved in the Taj Corridor scam. With the formation of the new government in Uttar Pradesh, 22 ministers with criminal records will now take oath in the Assembly. That is not synonymous with development.

Hirak K. Sengupta, Delhi

Mayawati has made an indelible impact as the shrewdest political operator and her gamble has paid off handsomely. Her social engineering has proved to be a new political idiom and being the pioneer, she is bound to use it to her advantage in the general elections of 2009.

H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Mysore

BSP’s strategy of wooing Brahmins in the state alone made the difference between a hung Assembly and a single-party majority. And by announcing reservation for the backward among the upper castes and other religious communities, Mayawati has played a master stroke.

Megha A., Hyderabad

Politics should not be given much importance in India. Be it Mayawati or Mulayam Singh Yadav, the state of affairs in Uttar Pradesh will not change. It seems as if leaders are only interested in personal gains while playing politics.

Trisheet Chatterjee, on e-mail

The victory of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh was much required to keep frauds like Amitabh Bachchan away from politics. Political parties should realise that Bollywood is different and its charm can’t work in politics.

S. Balakrishnan, Jamshedpur

The Samajwadi Party roped in the Bachchans, the Congress banked on Rahul Gandhi. But it was BSP which finally won. This shows that people vote for those whose promises seem convincing. Mayawati should bear in mind that her new voters have lent their mandate with the hope that she would deliver in the next five years. Now, it’s her turn to act.

Ranjana Manchanda, Bangalore

The resounding victory of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh elections has come as a pleasant surprise to most people. This is because she displayed vision and promised to cater to all castes, which is vital in a pluralistic society and a polity like ours.

R.D. Singh, Jammu

The BSP supremo has a very valuable lesson for national political parties—India is ready for agenda-based politics rather than just caste considerations.

Uma Trilok, Delhi

The exit polls which predicted a hopelessly hung Assembly have failed to deliver yet again. It shows how far they are from ground reality. This also applies to political parties which under-estimated BSP’s potential.

D.B.N. Murthy, on e-mail

Trigger Happy

Sohrabuddin Sheikh’s death in a fake encounter should evoke no sympathy (“Killer Thriller”, May 21). After all, he was on the ‘wanted’ list. The duty of the police is to apprehend criminals “dead or alive”.

S.S. Ramanatha Rao, Bangalore

The killing of Sohrabuddin is justified as he was a criminal. But the killing of his innocent wife Kausarbi is unacceptable. This only shows that there is corruption within the police force. The matter should be taken up seriously and the guilty should be punished.

Sushant Kumar, Delhi

Green Revolution

Considering that Punjab’s agricultural economy has slowed down, it is commendable that the new generation of entrepreneurs are now looking beyond booming sectors like it and focussing on agriculture (“Agro-Tycoons”, May 21). Their efforts will improve the agro business and boost the country’s declining revenues in the farm sector.
Avilash Panda, on e-mail

Wild Leanings

Greed and corruption are the root causes of depletion of forests in the southern state (“Cull of the Wild”, May 21). The culprits should be brought to book and awarded exemplary punishment sooner than later.

V.K. Tangri, Dehradun

Funding Healthcare

The pathetic decline in Kerala’s healthcare system is sad (“Cradle of Death”, May 21). A state excelling in most socio-economic parametres should do well in the wellness sector too. To meet the growing needs of funds in government hospitals, the charges for various services must be raised to a reasonable level. Very poor or destitute may, however, be exempted. Only a commercial approach can end the paucity of finance.

Virendra Kumar, on e-mail

Youth Power

The entry of new and young MLAs in Punjab Assembly is a welcome change (“Assembly of Youth”, May 21). They should work in tandem to take the state to new heights. It’s heartening to see a generational shift in the state’s power politics.

Chetan Prabhakar, Gurgaon

Fame Encounter

It’s Shilpa Shetty’s turn to become famous (“The Tyranny of Morality”, May 14). Be it the Richard Gere fiasco or the Big Brother show, the actress is finally hogging the limelight. With everyone talking about Shetty, one thing is certain: she has finally managed to get noticed. Not too bad for an actress who couldn’t do much in Bollywood all these years.

Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Bangalore

FAMILY OVER POLITICS

That fact that the DMK dynasty has finally fallen apart comes as no big surprise (“The War of Ratings”, May 21). It only shows that rifts had been mounting between Karunanidhi’s sons and the Maranas for quite some time. This is not unusual in politics.

Mannu Kumar, Delhi

It’s sad that Maran has to go because of a family feud. In his three-year stint as telecom minister, he delivered tangible results. Before removing Maran from his post, Karunanidhi should have taken note of that.

V.S. Ganeshan, Bangalore

30
Years Ago in India Today
JUNE 1-15, 1977

Grave Truth

Jesus Christ did not die on the cross, nor did he ascend to Heaven. Instead he went over to Kashmir, lived there for some time, died a natural death and is buried in Rauza Bal, Khanyar, a densely populated area in the interiors of Srinagar. Intrigued by his myth, a large number of foreigners have begun to visit this tomb. The theory was first propounded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qasdiyani (1835-1908), the founder of the Ahmediya sect in India, in his controversial Urdu book Maseeh Hindustan Main (Jesus in India) published in 1899. He challenged the universally established belief regarding the death of Christ. However, the authenticity and veracity of the theory could be established if the so-called grave of Jesus at Rauza Bal is dug, excavations made and the mortal remains of the person buried there examined in a modern scientific way.

Ghulam Nabi Khayal

Index