The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Upholding law

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Saturday, Feb 16, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Upholding law

This refers to the editorial “Upholding the rule of law” (Feb. 15). The Maharashtra government’s decision to arrest Raj Thackeray, who instigated violence against north Indians residing in Mumbai, and rein in the MNS activists was welcome. Organisations such as the MNS are a threat to national integrity and should be banned.

Madhvendra Singh Chauhan,

Dhenkanal

* * *

Any political party or organisation vandalising or creating terror on the basis of regionalism should be banned by the Election Commission. It should be made to pay for the damages caused within 48 hours of the incidents. Such action will make me a proud Indian.

Air Commodore V.V. Nair (retd.),

Manipal

* * *

The ease with which Raj Thackeray created a divide in the minds of the people shows how loosely bound the feeling of nationality is in our country. Many States have politicians who harbour such territorial thoughts and give them the glorified name of regional pride. If hurting an individual’s living and usurping one’s own right at the cost of it is justifiable, we need to rethink our ‘rights.’

Sumathi Chandrashekaran,

Chennai

* * *

The campaign by Raj and his cousin Uddhav is promotion of the worst kind of parochialism and chauvinism. Unless this despicable trend is arrested, the day may not be far off when the citizens of this country may be intimidated into obtaining residence permits by small-minded political dons.

Prasad Malladi,

Nidadavole

* * *

The arrest of Raj Thackeray deserves praise. At the same time, the Maharashtra government should remember that the underlying causes of the unrest cannot be ignored. Raj Thackeray has only exploited the simmering discontent of the rural folk, especially the farming communities. The situation in rural Maharashtra is worrisome. Treating the manifestation of the problem as a law and order issue will be a serious mistake.

T.R. Anandan,

Coimbatore

* * *

Given the acute unemployment in every State, the youth cannot be faulted for resisting non-locals grabbing the locally available jobs. What is reprehensible is the exploitation of such resistance by politicians like Raj Thackeray for political mileage. A just solution should be found for the simmering discontent at the national level. Low-paid jobs in both the private and public sectors should be earmarked for the locals as a first step.

M.K.B. Nambiar,

Mahe

* * *

The belated police action against Raj Thackeray proved to be nothing more than an elaborate charade. Obviously, Vilasrao Deshmukh and his allies hope the MNS’ move will help split the Shiv Sena’s traditional vote, push the BJP into a corner and consolidate the votes of migrants in favour of the Congress-NCP alliance. Electoral arithmetic does not always follow such simplistic logic. But, for the moment, cynical politics has prevailed. It is a shame and a pity.

J. Akshobhya,

Mysore

* * *

The government delayed action against Raj Thackeray as it was preoccupied with the political fallout of the issue. It was more concerned about preventing him from becoming a hero among Marathis than maintaining law and order in the State.

Shashikant Singh,

Roorkee

* * *

The recent incidents in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra have proved C. Rajagopalachari, who called the Reorganisation of States on linguistic basis a ‘tribal idea,’ prophetic once again.

K. Vedamurthy,

Chennai

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