Readers’ comments: ‘Hindutva is in a minority even among Hindus’

Parting shot

I take it that Sruthisagar Yamunan’s dignifying of Hindutva by describing it as “majoritarian” is accidental (“The Daily Fix: By attacking Hamid Ansari’s remarks on fears of Indian Muslims, BJP proves him right”). Hindutva is a minority even among us Hindus. And the Modi-Shah combine is just two individuals, even if they are in cahoots with some others. So, what we have, ruling our country today is a clique (and some henchmen). If there is clear and public recognition of that, there is some hope for our country. – Prabhu Guptara

Small victory

I would like to congratulate the author for his pragmatic and in-depth writing (“Congress’ Ahmed Patel euphoria will go the way of Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa”). I look forward to reading more articles from Rohan Venkataramakrishnan. – Nur Amin Haque

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The Congress needs to wake up and organise a massive grassroots movement. How come they have MLAs and MPs who are willing to defect at the drop of a hat? Where is their ideological commitment, their loyalty to the party?

The Congress should not bother about the clout these leaders may have in the local community, it must identify the traitors and cleanse the party of them. It should then rebuild the party based on the ideologies of Nehru and Gandhi. This is imperative not only for the Congress but also for the country. – Deepa Rashmi

Taking on the powerful

Union Minister Babul Supriyo’s statements show that he has a soft corner for the son of his party colleague and is trying to make light of a very serious incident (“Why charge accused in Chandigarh stalking case with abduction, asks Union minister Babul Supriyo”). One may ask: Should no action be taken against the culprit, just because he is son of a state chief of the ruling party? Varnika Kundu, who represents the nation’s brave daughters fighting against harassment by men, must get justice without interference from the political dispensation. Otherwise, all the party’s slogans about women’s empowerment, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, will ring hollow and prove to be meaningless. – Samiul Hassan Quadri

Saffron setback

The results to the Kerala municipal polls show that the Modi wave has not reached the grassroots (“Kerala: BJP fails to win any seats in Mattanur municipal poll, LDF claims 28 out of 35 wards”). The BJP should realise that the stand they are taking (or in recent cases, not taking) are not working. The party leadership should realise that the strategy that has worked for them in northern states will not work her. As geography changes, people’s palates also change.

Education reform

Exams put immense burden on students and all they need to get good marks is rote learning (“ICSE to hold board exams for Class 5 and Class 8 starting 2018-19”). This makes the system a waste of time that creates robots out of students who are loaded with information but have no creativity, thereby defying the very purpose of education.

The best way to judge learning is not through a theory exam but by seeing what they students do with their creativity. When a child is interested in a particular field, all they need is some encouragement and they can outshine anyone in this world. – Parag Kumar

Channel talks

Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s claim that he has no role in the content put out by Republic TV is a joke (“‘It’s all about market share’: Arnab Goswami’s funder Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Republic TV and more”). This is a toxic channel and Arnab Goswami is a rabble-rouser. They don’t report news, they air slanted opinions and go after individuals without evidence. And they only target the Opposition. – Murali Gopalan

Same coin

The analogies in this article fail and there isn’t much difference in economic policies of BJP and the Congress (“Opinion: The BJP’s ideology and its growth mirrors that of the Muslim League in the 1930s”). Both parties are growth-oriented capitalist economies like most of the countries in the world are striving to be. The left-liberal ideologues are aware of this and hence seem to believe in breaking the majority Hindu vote of the BJP by raising casteist issues or inciting class warfare. This is what irks centrist people like me.

The foremost issue facing India today is arguably corruption and if driving it out is considered important, it is the BJP that is perceived as more capable on this front. – Sowmyanarayanan C

Testing times

The idea of schools holding off-site classes to complete students’ syllabus as schools remain shut because of the Gorkhaland agitation is laudable but all measures should be taken to ensure the safety of students, which is of utmost importance (“With no sign of strike ending, Darjeeling schools begin off-site classes to tutor board examinees”). The protesters do not seem to care if students miss out on their studies. Also, since not all schools can afford such off-site arrangements, maybe schools should join hands and pool in funds, but that also seems unlikely. – Siddhant Garud

Travel travails

I am a flight crew member and I always keep my official documents with me when I leave the hotel, especially in countries such as China or Germany (“Air India pilot writes to MEA alleging human rights violation by Saudi officials in Jeddah”). It is the crew member’s responsibility to show original documents and has nothing to do with human rights. – Abdullah Alghamdi