The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Ram temple issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Ram temple issue

It is disconcerting to note that with elections approaching, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, L.K. Advani, has found it fit to invoke the name of Lord Ram to appeal to the electorate (“We never left Ram, asserts Advani,” Feb. 9). The BJP’s return to the temple agenda shows that it has run out of election issues which are relevant to the country. Its attempt to engage the people in discussions relating to a Ram temple when the nation is reeling under the impact of a global recession smacks of irresponsibility.

P. Prasand Thampy,

Thiruvalla

* * *

It is unfortunate that the BJP is raking up the Ram temple issue with an eye on the approaching general election. Mr. Advani’s declaration that only when a temple is built in Ayodhya will a Jai Shri Ram slogan come from the heart will reopen old wounds. The last thing India needs today is renewed communal hostility. Elections should be contested on issues such as price rise, inflation, healthcare, and welfare reforms. Our common future is at stake.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode

* * *

Mr. Advani is raising the temple issue once again with the Lok Sabha election in mind. Does he want to divide India again? Why does his party use communal issues during elections? It should concentrate on development issues which concern the common man.

Mohd Irshad Alam,

Aligarh

* * *

That it is election time is evident with the BJP reverting to the Ram temple issue with an eye on Hindu votes. Ever since the Babri Masjid was demolished, it has been talking of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. In 1999, it came to power on the temple promise and is repeating it in 2009 too for want of other issues.

George Thomas,

Kozhikode

* * *

By bringing the Ram temple issue to the fore once again, the BJP has exposed its helplessness. Using the name of Lord Ram for electoral gains as opposed to the larger national objectives is nothing but selling old wine in the same old bottle. I hope India’s rational electorate will defeat divisive forces as it has done in the past. We don’t need a Ram temple or the Ram Setu but we definitely need internal security, better health facilities, social infrastructure and inclusive growth.

Manoj Ratan Chothe,

New Delhi

* * *

The revival of the Ram temple issue by the BJP indicates that the party is still in identity crisis. It should be aware by now that voters want only development-oriented politics. The youth want politicians to work for them, not indulge in religion. The BJP should understand that the people are looking for a government that represents all sections of society. It should draft its agenda accordingly.

C.P. Velayudhan Nair,

Kochi

* * *

A national party declaring that its resolve is to build a Ram temple is outrageous. As a politically conscious young citizen, I would want to hear the leaders of a national party saying that their resolve is to uphold democracy and uplift the poor. Is not the BJP making a mockery of this great nation which takes pride in its diversity?

Pooja Menon,

Bhubaneswar

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

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

Discordant notes from Nagpur

Managing food abundance

Mumbai attacks: anatomy of a failed strategy

The new normal in Pakistan

Economic ripples as business trips are scaled back

Corrections and clarifications

Ram temple issue

Sri Lankan crisis

Hindu Taliban