The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Day of reckoning

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Friday, May 14, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Day of reckoning

Sir, — The mandate given by the people in the 14th Lok Sabha elections, contrary to the high optimism displayed by the National Democratic Alliance, particularly the BJP, has come as a rude shock to them. The `India Shining' campaign run at a high pitch did not pay any dividend because the sheen was not evident to the masses. The intelligent Indian voter proved too smart for the media managers and refused to be carried away by the ad campaign blitzkrieg.

The electorate also showed its distaste for the negative and personal attacks unleashed by the NDA leaders on Sonia Gandhi and her family members. This is particularly evident from the results in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu where Chandrababu Naidu, Narendra Modi, and Jayalalithaa carried on a tirade against Ms. Gandhi.

One more important factor that led to the NDA's bad show was the pace of economic reforms, which were implemented without a human face. The new Government should evolve a new economic model to safeguard the interests of the people, of whom over 70 per cent live in the villages.

K.M. Lakshmana Rao,

Visakhapatnam, A.P.

* * *

Sir, — That aside from the truncated NDA and the AIADMK — a new addition to its ranks — there are no takers for the foreign origin issue has become clear. The BJP making it an election issue and leaders such as Pramod Mahajan and Mr. Modi, not to mention Ms. Jayalalithaa, making uncharitable remarks about Ms. Gandhi have proved counter-productive, more so because Ms. Gandhi left the decision to the people preferring not to respond to the criticism.

I.D. Jawahar Raj,

Tirunelveli, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — The old order changeth making way for the new. The new lot of young voters has played a decisive role. They have voted youngsters such as Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora to power. The `oldies' in the NDA have been rejected. Well, Govinda will have the last laugh since he has put the "man on the street" (Ram Naik) on the mat.

Geraldine H.,

Mumbai

* * *

Sir, — The campaign rhetoric, whether you need an Indian or an Italian as your Prime Minister, proved futile. The vast majority that the Congress has won, no doubt, portrays the wider outlook of the standard Indian mind. Though Indians act locally, they think globally.

K.F. Godfrey,

Marutancode, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — The BJP should not have advanced the elections, particularly when there was no threat to the Government; the real good work done by the NDA did not reach the masses fully and effectively; the way the BJP treated its allies such as the INLD and the BSP led to a loss of 15 to 20 seats which are very crucial in numbers game; and the party could have avoided the Gujarat performance if Narendra Modi had been reined in.

Veeraraghavan,

Chennai

* * *

Sir, — The results are out. Not even NDTV's Prannoy Roy expected the ground to shake thus. Rahul Gandhi's reluctant emergence from the shadows was probably the turning point. And another important factor was the deep disgust with the BJP Government's role in protecting the murderers of Gujarat.

B. Parthasarathy,

Chennai

* * *

Sir, — Mrs. Gandhi II is all set to rule the country. In Kerala, the defeat of K. Karunakaran's son and daughter is a good lesson to the Congress. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to the voters.

S.N. Thiruvazhiode,

Kochi

* * *

Sir, — Congratulations to my fellow voters. Though the mandate is fragmented, our message is clear — no one can ignore us, we definitely deserve a better deal.

Arvind Vyas,

Chennai

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