Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Award for Vajpayee

L.K. Advani’s suggestion to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to confer Bharat Ratna on the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is welcome. Mr. Vajpayee, whose career has spanned five decades, stands tall among political leaders.

Whether it was in countering the pressure of American sanctions on India in the aftermath of Pokhran II, building bridges with our estranged neighbour or the management of the Kargil crisis, Mr. Vajpayee’s statesmanship has been acknowledged by the international community as well as his political adversaries. In addition to ending the BJP’s political isolation, he was instrumental in steering the party to greater heights.

B. Suresh Kumar,

Coimbatore

Mr. Vajpayee’s long and illustrious career is a textbook example of the positive and contributory role a hard-working, honest parliamentarian can play. He was no admirer of Indira Gandhi’s brand of politics but he hailed her for her decisive leadership in the 1971 war against Pakistan. He wholeheartedly endorsed Pokhran I. As Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee demonstrated that politics of cynicism is not necessary to stay in power. He is a shining, rare jewel. An official acceptance of the fact is the least we can do for him.

J.S. Acharya,

Hyderabad

I write to express my anguish over the media coverage of the second Test match between India and Australia at Sydney. They took the controversy to a level that breaks the bounds of jingoism and hypocrisy. The way they whipped up passions was unfortunate, turning what should have been a dignified response into a matter of national pride. Is cricket and losing to Australia the beginning and end of our national honour?

Arnab Basak,

New Delhi

The manner in which the unpleasant happenings in the Sydney Test were handled by the media needs to be reflected upon. They seemed to forget that cricket is after all a game and that a game is played for fun.

The media, especially the 24-hour television news channels, considered it their mission to bring to book the umpires who erred and the Aussies who made unsporting appeals. The coverage was, by no measure, a balanced response.

K. Vijayakumar,

Bangalore

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A great life
India-Malaysia ties in perspective
Will Spain go through second transition?
Looking to the future
Astronomers map dark matter
Corrections and Clarifications
Tata’a ace
Award for Vajpayee
Media hype

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu