Apropos your cover story on Subramanian Swamy (Everywhere I Go, Crowds Gather and Swamy and Frenemies, May 16), there’s perhaps no other instance of an MP taking oath and simultaneously raising the temperature of the House the way he did. He is aggressive, unpredictable and cruel to his targets. The most remarkable thing about Swamy is his unrelenting zeal in chasing the cases he takes up. He was responsible for Jayalalitha’s conviction; now, in the National Herald and the AgustaWestland cases, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi seem to be in the dock too. His induction in the Rajya Sabha seems to me a strategic move of the BJP to confront the noisy Congress in the Upper House.
M.C. Joshi, Lucknow
Swamy taught at Harvard. Indeed, having been a student or teacher at Harvard adds immensely to one’s credentials. But let me quote Woody Allen, who said this of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger: “Harvard makes mistakes too, you know. Kissinger taught there.”
H.N. Ramakrishna, Bangalore
Swamy is a loose cannon as well as a loose tongue, just like Donald Trump. He thinks he’s a nationalist, but is actually a dangerous divisionist. He will come to haunt those who helped him get a Rajya Sabha seat.
Anwaar, Dallas, Texas
Swamy’s only qualification is that he has nuisance value. Former prime ministers Chandra Shekhar and Narasimha Rao knew his weaknesses, so he was loyal to them. Narendra Modi’s real test lies in how he handles and manages Swamy.
Ramesh Raghuvanshi, Pune
I totally endorse what Swamy says. It’s high time Modi showed the door to the friends of the Gandhis who are in his government and took action on the scams of the previous UPA government.
Chandrashekhar, Bangalore
A habitual criminal never confesses his crime despite stringent punishment. Our own GOP has similarly been involved in several scams—right from the Mundra scam to the present-day AgustaWestland chopper scam. But for Swamy, many of these would not have been exposed. Whatever happens, Swamy will not backtrack from his mission.
Seetharam Basaani, Hanamkonda
Whenever Swamy points out an act of corruption, his rivals take up cudgels against him. In the National Herald case too, sycophants of the accused denied all charges and showered obnoxious comments on Swamy. Later, some evidence emerged in support of Swamy’s accusations. Swamy usually does not make tall claims. Let’s wait and see the outcome of AgustaWestland.
M.K. Somanatha Panicker, Cherthala
Clear and straightforward, a man of dharmic conduct, unflinching and uncompromising on values—that’s Swamy for you. If we still have hope in the political system, it’s because of people like Swamy and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ganesan S, Coimbatore
In the lead photo going with Swamy and Frenemies, I’d say I care to be friends with the guy in the foreground. The guy at the back, on the sofa, I don’t really give a damn for. He should learn to zip his mouth.
Jasbir Singh, Delhi
Swamy is like salt. A sprinkling of it is essential to bring sharpness to any cuisine; too much of it, and everything turns horrible.
Rajneesh Batra, Delhi
Swamy is a maverick and he’s no team-player. One thing that comes in the way of his inclusion in the cabinet is his indiscretion. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that tomorrow he’ll not turn against the BJP, which likes him today because he’s gunning for the Gandhis.
K. Suresh, Bangalore
No one can deny Swamy’s competence in certain areas. Also, he usually raises points after a thorough study of documents and relevant laws. Despite all this, he bears immense negativity and a destructive aggressiveness. It’s as if he believes that it’s a final judgement when he declares that someone is dishonest or incompetent.
Parshuram Gautampurkar, Sawai Madhopur
For all his pugnacity, Swamy has hardly had any success in politics. All he has done is tarnish reputations and cause certain important people sleepless nights. The strategy has paved the way for his entry into the Rajya Sabha, but there’s no knowing if he will be given a cabinet berth.
Ramachandran Nair, Muscat
The problem with Swamy is that he’s never had any friends. He’s a megalomaniac who lives in a world of fiction and crosses swords with powerful foes. But if he can make such a fuss about scams without much evidence, there’s at least a lot to be said for his skills of articulation!
V.N.K. Murti, Pattambi
Swamy is a bold, intelligent, honest politician, rare in our country. He rightly condemns Arun Jaitley and Raghuram Rajan for spoiling the image of the BJP by imposing heavy taxation and devaluing the rupee. The authority voters vested in Modi is not being translated into appropriate action. If Modi shows half the boldness shown by Swamy and cuts taxes, he will find much more support.
J.N. Bharatiya, Hyderabad
Swamy is seen as incorruptible. That makes him a worthy hunter of the corrupt in every party. But he only targets Congress leaders. Does a cat only eat one type of rat and lets the other kinds have a free run?
Sanjiv Gupta, Perth
Outlook, it’s well known, is no admirer of Swamy. Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself. But talent, however conceited it might be (as many might say it is in the person of Swamy), merits recognition—which is why your magazine has put Swamy on the cover.
M.A. Raipet, Secunderabad
Swamy’s criticism of RBI governor Raghuram Rajan calls for round condemnation. After all, Rajan holds a prestigious post and has earned much fame for his skill as an economist. If Swamy has a difference of opinion with Rajan, that should be discussed and thrashed out. Politicians must move beyond politics when it comes to the economic well-being of the country. I might add that Rajan unquestionably deserves a second term as RBI governor.
Danendra K. Jain, On E-Mail
Only time will tell if Swamy is a boon or a bane for the BJP. But one thing is clear: he’s caused a lot of discomfiture to the Gandhis. For that alone, thank god.
Siddharth Tharad, On E-Mail
Swamy is the proverbial loud, loose cannon. His gatecrashing into the Rajya Sabha has been facilitated by Modi, who seems to have realised that Swamy is a lesser nuisance when he’s on one’s side and under watch than otherwise. For now, Swamy will bide his time in the Rajya Sabha till he manages to wangle a ministerial berth. Jaitley may have a rival in Swamy there!
L.J. Singh, Amritsar
When everything is going well and the economy is looking for a great revival, Swamy has fired at the person who deserves credit for holding the economy together—RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. One hopes there’s method to the madness.
C.K. Subramaniam, Navi Mumbai
Swamy will eventually embarrass the BJP—but only because it’s becoming compromised.
Novonil Guha, Delhi
Swamy is a misguided missile and, one day, he might zero in on his own masters.
Richa Juyal, Dehradun
This is in reference to Who Stole My Data (May 9). We came across the piece in which you have expressed concerns regarding your Airtel 4G data pack limits getting exhausted pretty rapidly. You have also highlighted your experience with the Airtel call centre and how a call centre agent told you that someone was stealing your data and that despite repeated checks at your end, you are still seeking answers to what may have led to such high data usage. Kindly allow us the opportunity to try and address some of your concerns. So, did someone steal your data? The answer is no one did. We ran detailed checks on your usage pattern which was mostly consistent and on the higher side. The checks have also ruled out the possibility of theft on your 4G WiFi device or the presence of any malware that would use extra data. We have an IMEI security apparatus which ensures highly secure connectivity and we certify that there was no misuse from your device.
That brings us to what could have happened to your data. The answer to that could well lie in your article itself. You have mentioned video streaming and Netflix. On an average, using Netflix consumes up to 3 GB per hour in HD mode and 7 GB per hour on Ultra HD mode. We also ran through our call centre records and on every occasion you called in, our advisors tried to help you with relevant information, including how you can track your data usage per session. You also requested information on your data usage based on your website visits. We can also share your usage session details with you as an exception, if you openly consent. We hope this answers at least a few of your concerns about your data expenditure.
Ashutosh Sharma, Bharti Airtel
Nitish Kumar’s decision to impose prohibition is praiseworthy (The Hunt for the Last Tipple, May 16). He has dared to do it despite what his coffers are set to lose. Obviously, he cares more for the millions of poor families for whom alcohol is a scourge, eating up their meagre incomes and making the women even more vulnerable to domestic violence. Other states and even the Centre should follow in Bihar’s footsteps.
Buddhadev Nandi, On E-Mail
This refers to your story on the Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen from Kerala in February 2012 (Marine Ecology, May 16). An international tribunal has given India a sliver of opportunity to end its dispute with Italy with some give-and-take. The political class should show some level-headedness and allow the judiciary to find a fair way out of this impasse.
J.S. Acharya, New Delhi
Our naive Rahul and his mother have realised that Modi and the RSS will not let go of any chance to finish them once and for all. Maybe they deserve this as they did not destroy Modi even after the pogrom in Gujarat, afraid of alienating the Hindu vote. That emboldened the RSS.
Nasar Ahmed, Karikkudi
This is about the story on the Tamil Nadu polls (A Fast Game of Rounders, May 16). The reporter talks about Hindi not being spoken in Tamil Nadu and I don't know how well he knows the state, but Hindi is just one of the official languages of India. So, we Tamils are under no compulsion to have Hindi on our signboards. To make it clear to outsiders, we have English signs. And the reference to Tamannah’s midriff vis-a-vis the smooth road between Chennai and Madurai is in bad taste.
Deepak V., Chennai
Unlike other political parties who make election promises about governance and law-making, it’s amusing to see TN's Dravidian parties patenting a unique system of patronage of consumer goods and services. And contrary to the usual grouse among voters that poll promises are forgotten, the AIADMK and DMK have actually delivered at least freebies like mixers and TV sets, if not developmental goodies like roads, power and piped water supply.
J. Akshobhya, Mysore
Beloved Amma opening a big bag of goodies for the large segment of the electorate is fine. However, the eagerness of the receivers and their dutiful voting shows how the drain from the public exchequer is justified by Tamil Nadu’s mass leaders. The poverty of the masses is still the security of the politicos!
J.N.B, Hyderabad
This is about the story on the debt-ridden state electricity boards and the Centre’s bid to fix discom finances (Thrice is Not Enough, May 16). There is an acute shortage of electricity in the country, and one of the worst hit cities is Delhi. Powercuts are an integral part of life. Instead of complete darkness on the streets, they should light up alternative poles to save power. Stringent action for power pilferage is also a must. Further, a bad power situation leads to a slowdown in economic activities too. We really need more investment in the power sector.
Mahesh Kapasi, Delhi
Old Monk, we learnt from ‘7 things we learnt last week’ (Seven Days, May 9), was founded in 1855 by the father of Colonel Reginald Dyer of Jallianwala infamy. Let me share another tidbit this week: Bloody Mary, the world’s most complex cocktail—a mixture of vodka, tomato juice and a combination of several exotic and pungent spices—was invented, according to one version, by Fernand Petiot in 1921. The heady mix was so named after Queen Mary I—the “bloody Mary” who tried to re-establish the Catholic Church in England.
C.V. Venugopalan, Palakkad
