Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Dangerous trend

The editorial `New heights of intolerance' (May 26) is right in condemning the Gujarat Government and the BJP youth wing's action against the film Fanaa. How can the screening of a film cleared by the Censor Board be stopped by a political party? Is speaking in favour of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, as the film's lead actor Aamir Khan has done, a crime? Such intolerance is dangerous.

V. Pandy,
Tuticorin, T.N.

Aamir Khan's stand is clear: rehabilitate the affected people properly and then let the construction of the dam proceed. However, some political parties are trying to complicate the issue and are trying to present the actor's views as being against the people of Gujarat. The people of the State should demand an apology from their Government, not from the actor.

Arpit Mathur,
Jodhpur, Rajasthan

A belief different from that of actor Aamir Khan cannot be a ground for not allowing the screening of a film starring him. I agree with the editorial that the real apology is due from the intolerant, chauvinistic forces in Gujarat.

K. Nehru Patnaik,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

The apology sought from Aamir Khan, a demand apparently encouraged by the political dispensation in Gujarat, I think betrays a tendency to convert the issue into a communal one. There is an urgent need for all liberal forces to fight to prevent retrograde forces from gaining ascendancy. Otherwise, the day when the "spirit" of Gujarat spreads to other regions will not be far off.

N.S. Sankararaman,
Chennai

My appreciation for the editorial is juxtaposed by my perturbation over the question: "Does this mean Gujarat will open its doors only to those who support the State Government's line?" The incident is another instance of a citizen's right to freedom of speech being questioned.

Kanishk Sinha,
Faridabad, Haryana

The people raising a hullabaloo against Aamir Khan's support for the innocent people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Project must realise that such actions only reveal their political interests and their indifference to the suffering.

Vidya S.,
Chennai

The intolerance level of Gujarat under Narendra Modi is acquiring scandalous proportions. The actor's perception on the Narmada issue is his right and no one can deny him that. Aamir Khan should not allow himself to be pressured, come what may.

T. Santhanam,
Chennai

The message is chillingly clear: Do not oppose the Gujarat stand on the Narmada dam or else! Aamir Khan did and is being made to pay.

A. Vani,
Bangalore

It is with great pain that I see the land of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi becoming a land of intolerance. By not facilitating the exhibition of Fanaa in Gujarat, the present State Government is curbing the right to freedom of expression.

Mohandas N.S.,
Bahrain

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