This refers to the cover story To Dilli Gate (December 16). In the beginning of his second term, Kejriwal was back to his confrontationist and rabble-rousing ways over matters of little public concern, like full statehood for Delhi, control of Delhi police, Jan Lokpal etc. He also continued accusing the prime minister of not letting him work and for everything that went wrong in Delhi and with his government. He called special one-day sessions of the assembly to discuss his agendas. Kejriwal seems to have ultimately realised the futility of his rabble-rousing and is minding his own business. In earlier elections, people voted for his promises. This time, it will be based on his performance. He may retain Delhi if his performance proves to be commensurate to the expectations of Delhi’s electorate.
M.C. Joshi, Lucknow
Kejriwal has gained national importance thanks to his clever media-management. I cannot understand why our paid media has pampered this visionless, immature politician. He cleverly kicked out the brains in AAP—Kumar Vishwas, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan etc—and manipulated the party single-handedly. With such positive stories in Outlook and other magazines, he is bound to succeed in the 2020 assembly elections. Your article ignored all his shortcomings, blunders and lack of development in Delhi. The city has gone backwards by seven years. I am really concerned—I had started seeing improvement in Outlook’s outlook in general, but now AK-49 seems to have captured your imagination.
Harish Pandey, New Delhi
I wonder if Kejriwal will be Harry Potter and his broom Nimbus 2000?
N Gurudatha, Bangalore
This refers to your cover story They Who Defy (December 9). Changing the status quo has never been easy, especially when the youth—perpetual rebels—are involved. It is natural then that the present government’s effort to change the ethos of universities and colleges is being met with stiff resistance. However, both the student body and government are responsible for the tense situation on college campuses like JNU. The contentious issues of fee hike, hostel norms etc are being seen by students as a ploy to rein in the free spirit of the university. The trust deficit between the Centre and collegians doesn’t augur well for the country’s future.
Vijai Pant, On E-Mail
Politics continues to be a motivating factor behind most agitations. Access to a party or group emboldens a person to jump onto a wagon without caring for the consequences. It has become customary to criticise and abuse the government. This trend has inspired the younger generation to push their vested interests. In the process, they resort to unruly behaviour, which jeopardises education. JNU, once a breeding ground for new ideas, values and commitments, is no exception, as is evident from the agitations in recent past. Restrained and non-violent protests have taken a backstage and JNU no longer remains what Jawaharlal Nehru once envisioned: “A university stands for humanism, reason and tolerance for the adventure of ideas and search of truth.”
Jaideep Mittra, Varanasi
This refers to Chanakya Gets His Maurya (December 9). Maharashtra’s was the unholiest political drama of all—within hours of Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar taking oath, the coup fell to pieces. As events unfolded at breakneck speed, it took all the wiles of Sharad Pawar to stop his party from slipping out of his hands. The way in which the BJP exploited the internal tussles of the Pawar family to lure the rebellious Ajit into breaking the NCP will be a black spot on the former. Other than exposing the real Ajit Pawar, it also cautions the NCP about future rifts in the party. However, the three parties, each professing different ideologies, agreeing to unite to form a government seems to be a marriage of convenience. Its raison d’etre is more to keep the BJP out than to provide good governance. How long can it last?
K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad
Look at the burlesque that played out in the dark corridors of power in Mumbai. After the terrible politics in Karnataka, it seems the whole grammar and vocabulary of defection has changed. Words like ‘defector’, ‘aaya Rams’, ‘horse trading’, ‘turncoats’ and ‘floor crossing’ have disappeared from sections of mainstream media. Instead, we have softer expressions like ‘win over’, ‘persuasion’ and ‘switching loyalty’. Some media even called the operation ‘astute’, ‘skilful’ and ‘deft’. In earlier times, MLAs were herded to farmhouses and guesthouses. Now, they are taken to resorts and five-star hotels. Thus, political legerdemain is getting regularised, even legitimised.
Guru Raghavendra, Secunderabad
This refers to Rape is Not Just Another Crime (December 16). Instead of knee-jerk reactions, we need a detailed psychological study of Indian men. This may give some insight into why men rape. Also, families and schools should teach boys to understand and respect female bodies and emotions. Simultaneously, amendments should be made in our criminal justice system to impose fines on all police personnel and judges for delays in such cases.
S. Gopal, Delhi
Current public outrage against the Hyderabad rape-murder is due to continuous media pressure—public memory is otherwise so short that after a fortnight, we forget what happened and move to the next tragedy. We witnessed similar outrage seven years ago in the Delhi gang-rape case. Did anything improve? We must address this menace comprehensively with detailed planning and drastic change in our behaviour towards women. We need speedy judicial trial and promote gender equality, especially in rural areas.
Bal Govind, Noida
The Brevis snippet (December 9) regarding the merger of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu for administrative efficiency is a half-hearted measure. If more than 500 princely states can merge into adjoining states, there is no reason why less than a dozen former Portuguese and French enclaves should remain isolated.
Nitin Majumdar, Lucknow
The Dapper Chamar, Now A Dalit Brand (December 16) was an amazing read. From a slur to a brand, it has been a long haul. Chamar is no ordinary label, nor Chamar Studio just another enterprise. Clearly, entrepreneurs can make inroads where everything fails, highlighting the synergy that exists between economy and community.
Sangeeta Kampani, New Delhi
