Power over principles

Sir, - There can be no better analysis of the situation arising out of the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee's utterances on the Ayodhya issue than that of Ms. Malini Parthasarathy's article ``No accidental swayamsevak'' (The Hindu, Dec. 11).

The article not only unmasked the true colours of the BJP but also the sincerity of the regional allies in the NDA for their professed commitment to the idea of a pluralistic, secular and democratic ethos of governance.

The TDP, a party supporting the BJP from outside, did not throw its full weight in seeking a clarification from the Prime Minister about his ill-timed declaration to the effect that the construction of Ram Mandir is an expression of nationalist sentiment.

The Trinamool Congress led by Ms. Mamata Banerjee also acquiesced in the pacification process vigorously pursued by the BJP leadership. As for the DMK there was no sign of any criticism except to recall the roll of the Congress party on December 6, 1992 and AIADMK leader's pronouncement on ``kar seva''. This has been clearly brought out in the Editorial ``Power over principles'' (The Hindu, Dec. 12).

Thus the principle of secularism has been thrown to the winds only because these regional parties were not prepared to rock the boat. At best one can infer that the regional allies in the NDA combine were prepared to compromise on national issues to cling on to power at any cost, notwithstanding the communal politics of the BJP and the common agenda agreed upon by the multiple parties in the NDA.

P. S. Krishnan,

Chennai

Sir, - The PM's contention that the building of a Ram temple at the demolished Babri Masjid site is the expression of nationalist feelings is highly objectionable. If that had been the case, the BJP would have been up there with a brute majority now.

The mask is finally off! Hats off to the millions of true Hindus in our country who consciously or unconsciously go by the real essense of the Indian way of living and universal perception, that is, Lokaa samasthaa sukhino bhavanthu. Were it not so, India would have been gradually regressing into the dark alleys of a Hindu version of Talibanism by now.

Sangh Parivar heads like Mr. Bal Thackeray should remember that the majority of this great country has never endorsed their madness, nor has anyone appointed them as spokespersons of Hindus. They would do well to stop mouthing messages of hate.

T. Jayashree,

Secunderabad

Sir, - With elections round the corner in several States and that little jolt that the National Democratic Alliance got vis-a-vis the utterances of our Prime Minister about building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, one is compelled to contemplate the effect of factors like this on the next polls.

I have found that all political crimes are counter-productive and have an exactly opposite effect than the one intended. We term one a political crime not only because it is culpable under any legislation but also because it is the one that would not do greatest good to the largest number and in fact result in harm and injury to a large section of the people.

If we view our Prime Minister's partiality for the Ram Mandir in terms of its effect on the next polls, neither the RSS nor VHP nor Bajrang Dal will provide any vote bank for Mr. Vajpayee.

The BJP came to power because the people disappointed with the Congress performance twice tried other combinations and finally chose the NDA for want of an alternative.

Now if our Prime Minister tries to appease a minority which is supposed to prop up Hinduism by lawless means, it would go down in the history of political crimes as another counter-productive measure.

S. Charuhasan,

Chennai

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