Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unleashing a monster

Sir, — Neera Chandoke's article: `The unleashing of a monster' (Nov. 22) has expressed the profound outrage felt by many who fall under the category of `Hindu' about the arousal of communal and sectarian passions in the name of Hinduism. Permissive though the majority religion may be in doctrinal matters, and indulgent though some high-profile religious heads are of the Hindutva aberration, the VHP certainly cannot claim to represent the Hindus. The assumption that it has the `democratic' right to express and force its unconstitutional and undemocratic ideas on the rest of the country is as ridiculous as its pretensions to interpreting history and philosophy.

Who has anointed, or elected, any VHP leader as `high priests' of the entire Hindu population, when even the anointed high priests hesitate to speak for all Hindus, and rightly so? Nor does any political party have any mandate under the law of the country to draw support from communal organisations which defiantly break the law and jeopardise people's lives and property. People no longer believe that Islamic terrorism, or Pakistani designs on Kashmir, can be fought on Indian soil by whipping up Hindutva frenzy. As Ms. Chandoke says, a monster has been deliberately and ruthlessly unleashed, but after more than a decade of wreaking mayhem, this monster is due for a drubbing at the polls, along with its masters. In fact, not only the bigots in the Sangh Parivar, but religious extremists of every ilk will have to be exposed as the trouble-makers they are.

Vasantha Surya,

Chennai

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