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RSS-BJP row

The editorial "Lal Krishna Advani's third reprieve" (July 19) offers a balanced insight into the confusion the Sangh Parivar is entangled in now. While a defiant L.K. Advani is in no mood to express regret for his utterances on Jinnah, the Sangh is stepping up its demand that Mr. Advani be removed as BJP president or Leader of the Opposition. The Sangh would do well to remember that periodic sacking of leaders for "indiscipline" is nothing but a mockery.

U.S. Iyer,
Bangalore

The BJP-RSS umbilical ties were reinforced when senior BJP leaders asked George Fernandes to keep off the Sangh Parivar's "internal affairs." The NDA is now in a fix. It is better that the BJP and its allies part ways and end the charade.

V.P. Ramesan,
Kochi, Kerala

The bickering over Mr. Advani's praise of Jinnah appears to be entering a crucial phase. The demand for his resignation from both posts by senior leaders such as Madan Lal Khurana has magnified the problem. The events in the last fortnight have once again demonstrated that the RSS will not let the BJP go its own way. Whether Mr. Advani stays or goes, the row has tarnished the image of the party and caused incalculable damage to its electoral prospects in Bihar.

Ganesh Sovani,
Thane, Maharashtra

The brief respite for Mr. Advani is only a face-saver. It can fool no one familiar with Sangh politics. Surely, a formula is being worked out to minimise the BJP's embarrassment over Mr. Advani's exit.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

The RSS is right in saying the BJP should not deviate ideologically. Most parties change ideology at the drop of a hat for electoral benefits. Whether the RSS' ideology is acceptable or not is not the question. Any organisation has a right to independent ideology, however controversial it may be.

Nisha Gopalan,
Chennai

The Congress' observation that the RSS is the holding company while the BJP is only its subsidiary (July 19) is surprising. When the Congress can depend on and allow itself to be dictated by one family for decades, why should not the BJP? Why these double standards?

M.D. Kartik,
Hyderabad

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