The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : BJP exposed

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Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
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BJP exposed

The editorial “Ugly defence of the indefensible” (Nov. 20) clearly exposed the BJP’s doublespeak on terrorism. The party has been shaken by the role of Hindutva elements in the Malegaon blast.

A. Giridhar,

Hyderabad

Those who are aware of the BJP’s style of functioning are hardly surprised at its volte face in defending the terror accused in the Malegaon blast. Now that its leaders know they have a big opportunity to indulge in rabble-rousing, they will not let go of it. One only hopes that the people will see through this design and defeat the desires of the fundamentalists and communal parties.

K. Rajasekaran,

Chennai The arrest of some persons owing allegiance to the Hindutva ideology in connection with the Malegaon bomb blast has opened a Pandora’s box. It has brought the ugly face of Hindutva terror to the fore. Hindu radicalism has now taken a turn for the dangerous.

The BJP leaders, who object to media reports describing the arrested as Hindu terrorists, forget that racial profiling of Sikhs and Muslims has been practised with impunity over the years. I can recall hundreds of screaming headlines announcing the arrest of “Sikh terrorists,” “Kashmiri terrorists” and the like. The BJP is in a catch-22 situation, caught between its pro-Hindutva stand and opposing violence by Hindutva terrorists.

H.S. Dhami,

Hoshiarpur

No party other than the BJP has ever publicly defended a person accused of involvement in terrorist activities. With hindsight, one can see that Hindutva terror was always there waiting to strike. We as a nation were guilty of being blind to it. The first terror attack in free India, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, was an act of Hindutva terror. All communal riots from the time of independence to the Gujarat genocide and the Orissa violence have been directly orchestrated by the sangh parivar.

V. Byju,

Thiruvananthapuram

Thanks to the Congress’ politics of appeasement, Afzal Guru, whose death sentence was upheld by the highest court of the land, has not been executed. So it is hardly surprising when the BJP decides to defend sadhvi Pragnya and the other accused in the Malegaon blast case. The due process of law is yet to begin and the guilt yet to be proved.

K.R. Srinivasan,

Secunderabad

The BJP’s stand in the case is in sync with its policy and ideology. The Congress follows the policy of minority appeasement and to balance the scales the BJP is doing the same with respect to the majority.

Sagar Raj,

New Delhi

I am amused when I hear moulvis, pandits and sadhus declaring that their religion does not allow the killing of innocent people. They claim that true Hindus and true Muslims do not indulge in acts of terror. But all those arrested or found guilty of such acts claim to be devout persons. They justify their acts saying they were revenge killings. Thus the Malegaon attack is meant to avenge the Mumbai train blasts which, in turn, were meant to avenge the Gujarat riots which were a “reaction” to the Godhra killings. The question is: when and how will the cycle end? Will it not be proper for leaders from all walks of life to appeal to the people to stop the revenge hysteria?

M. Iqtedar H. Farooqi,

Lucknow

If the accusations against the sadhvi and others are proved, the very foundation of Indian society will stand jeopardised. We are yet to effectively tackle Islamist terrorism. If the potential of Hindu extremists to take the terror route is also proved, we will have to prepare for the failure of democracy. It is a matter of serious concern for the people of India who have remained united in the wake of terror.

Sandeep Mishra,

Chennai

Memories of war

The article “Fighting for the memories of a war” (Nov. 21) is an excellent narration of the Japanese belligerence during the Greater East Asian War. Japan, a secular state, has rightly dismissed General Toshio Tamogami for his ultra-nationalist comments. In India, too, there is no place for such an ideology, especially in the secular corridors of the army.

Vipul Grover,

Chandigarh

The article is timely. The reference to the “majority religious symbols” in the Indian armed forces is particularly relevant. As a civilian officer posted in the Jammu & Kashmir border, I served with the soldiers in pickets and base camps. I was shocked at the explicit show of religiosity in the evenings in the form of aartis and bhajans. The rituals were more elaborate if a senior officer of the unit came visiting. I could sense the discomfort among the small minority of soldiers who were clearly unwilling participants. Army units have their own temples and gurdwaras. Despite the revolt by some Sikh soldiers after Operation Bluestar, the forces have not given up these colonial vestiges. It is hoped that the Purohit incident will make the authorities ‘secularise’ the armed forces.

C.K. Ramachandran,

Kozhikode

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