The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : RSS' stern message

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 13, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

RSS' stern message

The RSS' stern message to the BJP (July 12) on L.K. Advani will not particularly help the party at this juncture. His Jinnah remarks should be treated as a dead issue. The BJP is unlikely to find a leader of Mr. Advani's calibre who is mature, seasoned, and capable of leading the cadre.

R. Raghavendra,
Bangalore

* * *

The RSS has almost served an ultimatum on the BJP, taking a no-compromise-on-Hindutva stand. It only reiterates the fact that pundits of vote bank politics are always wrong. Extreme stands and activities are counterproductive.

Moditva-brand of fundamentalism led to the downfall of the NDA Government and the Emergency brought the Janata Party to power.

S. Charuhasan,
Chennai

* * *

That the BJP is not a separate entity is becoming clearer, the latest pointer being the RSS' stern message. The fact that it could create a flutter in the BJP headquarters with the media and politicians speculating on will-he-won't-he-resign shows the extent to which the RSS wields control over the BJP.

P.U. Krishanan,
Udhagamandalam, T.N.

* * *

The resurfacing of the Jinnah issue, which seemed to have been laid to rest, and the stern message do not augur well for the BJP. The RSS can afford to drag the issue because it functions in isolation. But the BJP should refuse to be cowed down by such whimsical zealots, failing which the damage to its image will be huge.

N. Jayaraj,
Chennai

* * *

As Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered the annual convocation address at the Kashmir University in 2003. He quoted from Lala Arifa (Laleshwari), said Sufi Islam arrived in India as neither a conqueror nor a competitor but as an ally, quoted Mehjoor's couplets (if Muslim is milk, Hindu is sugar), and recalled Swami Vivekananda's words ("I see in my mind's eye the future of perfect India ... with a Vedanta brain in an Islam body"). Just as Mr. Vajpayee's speech was meant for the consumption of Kashmiri youth, Mr. Advani's Jinnah-was-secular speech was meant for Pakistani nationals.

Jalees A.K. Tareen,
New Delhi

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