Legitimising coercion

Sir, - Your Editorial `Legitimising Coercion' (Oct. 27): Our unity and brotherhood has been put to test after the advent of the BJP. I reproduce below the news report published in The Hindu dated Oct. 29, 1951 (reproduced 50 years later) wherein it is reported that the late Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, lauded the retiring Home Minister, C. Rajagopalachari's ``razor sharp intellect'' for which the elder statesman humbly replied ``Not my brain, but my deep prayers will help... Other nations have achieved great things and might achieve even greater things; but we have one singular greatness to achieve, by proving that people of various religions can live together as brothers and make a nation''.

The recent acts of the Sangh Parivar at Ayodhya showing disrespect to the apex court by attempting to create communal tension is an example of how the ruling party is planning to revive the subject on the eve of the U.P. general elections.

The RSS chief, Mr. Sudarshan's call to ``interpret the scriptures'' is likely to create widespread resentment among minorities. People, irrespective of their religious background, are critical of the `saffronisation' of education. While the RSS wants to take education back to the medieval days like the Taliban, it is funny that the minorities like Christians are asked to reinterpret their scriptures for the modern world.

P.V.D. Paul,

Chennai

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