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The resignation drama

One who is familiar with the BJP-VHP combine's productions, directed by the RSS, will hardly be surprised by the L.K. Advani resignation drama. The hidden agenda seems to be solemnising Mr. Advani as a secular leader. But millions of Indians will have to make an effort to forget his speeches during the rath yatra that culminated in the Babri Masjid demolition.

G. Rama Durga Rao,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

Mr. Advani has been carrying the tag of a Hindutva hardliner since his rath yatra days. He used his Pakistan visit as a political theatre to transform his image into a secularist. His move was far-sighted to keep the NDA united and cash in on the minority vote bank. Although he has lost the first round, by withdrawing his resignation he has made space for himself to fight the battle on a later day.

Ramesh Kumar Raja,
New Delhi

Mr. Advani did not praise Jinnah for propounding the two-nation theory. Nor did he support Jinnah's demand for a separate state. He only quoted from an address by Jinnah. When we are in the process of establishing peace with our neighbour, there is nothing wrong in showering a word or two of praise on it.

Nirbhay R. Padhy,
Pondicherry

While Mr. Advani might have called Jinnah secular to please his hosts, his remark that December 6 was the saddest day in his life cannot be accepted because it was he who actively called for the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

S.V. Narayanan,
Bangalore

Now that everyone has become a secularist, including Jinnah and Mr. Advani, one wonders who is a communalist. Just as we have accepted dictatorial democracies like Pakistan, we can say Jinnah was a communal secularist.

S. Raghunatha Prabhu,
Alappuzha, Kerala

The volume of words spoken and written on Jinnah's secular credentials might amount to solemnisation of Gandhi's historic counterpart. It also provides the context for making a reference to Jawaharlal Nehru as one who was also a political opportunist.

M.D. Dinesh Nair,
Vijayawada, A.P.

Nehru was neither the first nor most eager leader to accept Partition. Many historical writings have established that Sardar Patel came to the conclusion that "amputation of the sick limb is better than making the whole body suffer." The Congress agreed to Partition because its experience of sharing power with the Muslim League in the interim government was frustrating and it was obvious that the two would not be able to work together.

Nehru said in his later years that great events were the result of historical forces and not individuals. This showed he had outgrown his opposition to Jinnah as an individual and did not blame him alone for Partition.

M.C. Swaminathan,
Hyderabad

Jinnah was a nationalist in his early years. He got Bal Gangadhar Tilak acquitted in a sedition case. But when the cry for Pakistan gained momentum, he seized the opportunity. He pleaded that Muslims were a separate nation. He bullied the Congress with the threat of civil war and the British policy of divide-and-rule admirably suited him. To call such a person secular because he expressed fair treatment for Hindus in his state in one spell is beyond one's comprehension.

P.S. Chari,
Chennai

In 1937, Rajaji, as Premier of the Madras Presidency, introduced Hindi as a compulsory subject. In the 1950s, he carried on a campaign against Hindi. While in jail, he wrote articles eulogising the virtues of socialism but later called communists his enemy number one. Asked about his shifting stand on various issues, he said: "Mango has three stages of ripening. In the initial stage it is bitter. In the next stage, it is sour. Finally it is sweet. Human thoughts also evolve over years." To hold Pakistan enemy number one eternally may suit the RSS ideology. But evolution demands that we make peace with the neighbour.

N. Balasubramanyan,
Tiruchi, T.N.

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