Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The legislation route

Sir, — Even though the BJP leads the National Democratic Alliance and is said to be following a common minimum programme for governance, it holds an agenda of its own in matters relating to Hindutva and Ayodhya. It is sad that its leaders are trying the legislation option on Ayodhya. This shows that the BJP has no faith in the Judiciary. If this legislation is allowed, it will set a bad precedent. Tomorrow, the party will stake claim for Mathura and Kashi in a similar manner.

The people at the helm of the party who criticise the Americans for their unjust war and their subsequent move to legalise it through a U.N. resolution want to replicate the model in the case of Ayodhya.

Sunchoe. F. Malayil,

Nagercoil, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — Apropos your Editorial, `From Palampur to Raipur' ( July 21 ), the "cleverly worded" resolution on the Ram Janmabhoomi adopted at the Bharatiya Janata Party's national executive testifies to the fact that the party has come a long way since its Palampur days (June 1989), when it successfully used the Ayodhya issue to increase its tally in the Lok Sabha and ultimately to come to power at the Centre.

But once in power, the BJP realised that the communal card will not always guarantee rich electoral dividends. The compulsions of coalition politics have made the BJP saner and the party knows full well that it stands no chance of getting the required numbers at the hustings on its own in the near future. And, till it manages to get a simple or a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, it cannot afford to burn its bridges by taking an extreme line on Ayodhya.

Again, the BJP cannot afford to antagonise the RSS and the VHP by wearing a "secular mask" because it is these parent-sister organisations which do the spadework for it during the time of elections.

R. Venkatesan Iyengar,

Gulbarga, Karnataka

* * *

Sir, — Instead of focussing on the welfare of the people who are below the poverty line, stabilising our economy, reducing the population growth rate and eradicating corruption, the BJP is bothered about constructing a temple on the disputed land. As a responsible citizen, I do not want a Ram temple or a mosque and prefer to have an orphanage or a hospital at the site.

B. Jayakumar,

Kancheepuram, T.N.

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• Avoid the 'peacekeeping' trap
• Attack on panchayati raj
• Beyond the Iraq decision
• New masters, old spies?
• Mind your language
• The legislation route
• Reservation for women
• Lessons from A.P.
• Retrograde step

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