Dear Vinod Mehta, I loved reading your last page (Delhi Diary, Apr 10). I enjoy watching the BJP squirm each time Sonia Gandhi acts. Her political acumen and amazing resilience will make her gallop ahead of all the rath yatris.
Joyshri Lobo, on e-mail
So the BJP is stumped? Maybe. But can even a biased umpire like Mr Mehta deny that the lady retired hurt trying to hurl a bouncer at Jaya Bachchan?
Nirmal K. Sircar, Calcutta
Pity, the opposition failed to anticipate yet another image-enhancing move from Sonia. Whatever they may now call it—after-thought, circumstantial recoil of the politics of revenge, caught in her own web—one could not but read their faces on March 23. It was just red. No, not because of a slap but out of shame over how they raised the office-of-profit issue, and found themselves in a really tight spot.
Romi Singh, on e-mail
Mr Mehta seems to be a paid factotum of the Congress. But don’t forget that the party is only furthering the gains of the preceding nda government. As for Sonia, she has broken all records of shamelessness by supporting many corrupt, crooked politicians who were her foes till the other day. Vinod sounds to be a Hindu name but he behaves as if he originated from Orbassano. I wish he shrugged off the slavery, and became a true Indian.
Anoop Agarwal, on e-mail
The BJP-led NDA failed, so people again looked up to the Congress. Thus a non-entity like Sonia gained recognition as a leader. Whatever Mr Mehta says, she is only a made leader—not a born leader. Sonia is a mere parasite of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy.
A.B.V.V.K. Ramesh, Hyderabad
When Mr Mehta writes his next Delhi diary, name it Sonia diary. So that we can easily ignore the column.
R. Rajeev, Delhi
Well put, Mr Mehta. While paeans to Sonia may not be wholly kosher, that "giving ’em hell" Truman style to those BJP know-alls is fun to read.
Ghulam Faruki, New York
What Mr Mehta desperately tries to ignore is that the BJP leadership doesn’t piggyback a dynasty. Quite unlike the Congress, where you have not just the Gandhis, but Scindias, Pilots and Deoras.
Shrikant Patil, Pune
If the Sonia-Manmohan ties are working well, it’s because we have a mild PM. Remember Sitaram Kesri, Narasimha Rao? Mr Mehta also chooses to overlook the possibility of the Saint facing disqualification as an MP had there been no subterfuge of the Constitution by adjourning Parliament sine die. So Monty Panesar getting Sachin’s wicket may be an entertaining spectacle but what if it was with a tampered ball?
S. Srinivas Rao, Delhi
Wah, Sonia has once again become the Devi of tyag—that too without losing anything (Grand Duchy, Apr 10). Maybe that’s the best thing she could do in the given scenario. Anyway, she will continue to remote-control the Congress (read government). This woman will go down the annals of modern history as the only one to have mustered so much political power in another nation. And, all of it without any portfolio! Long live dynasty rule!!
Dr Sanjay Kapoor, Delhi
It’s tough to answer in mere "yes" or "no" to whether Sonia made the right move by resigning (58 Per Cent Say Sonia Did The Right Thing). The answer "yes" must be understood in conjunction with whether it was to bypass dismissal or if it was a sacrifice. That "yes" means she did the right thing but that it was not a sacrifice, instead she was selfish. Now you see the true colour of the answer!
R. Marur, Abu Dhabi
How dare you quote Shakespeare for an act of Sonia (Way To Go, Apr 3)! The bard would be turning in his grave.
B. Bhattacharya, on e-mail
Jagdish N. Bhagwati’s column Should We Legalise Opium? (Apr 10) talks of "innocent Hindus being killed in the Godhra massacre". I’d rather that a researched paper (which I assume this piece is) not give statements like these. Firstly, there are differing versions of coach S-6 burning. Then, it is difficult to know who travels in which coach—religion, community, state or any other categorywise—except in a coach reserved for women. For Bhagwati to say that innocent Hindus were killed makes it a foregone conclusion that the people in coach S-6 were none other than Hindus.
Anita Prabhu, Ahmedabad
Bhagwati must be smoking something funny when he repeatedly characterises the Hindu diaspora as anti-modern. Most of them are in technological careers and anything but anti-modern in their personal lives.
Sabena Dhingra, Princeton, US
NRIs are certainly the most modern of Indians, the most skilled, and the most socially and politically liberal. I cannot imagine that a learned man like Bhagwati can think that they are possibly anti-modern.
Sanjay M., Beverly Hills, US
In the ’50s and ’60s, the world used to talk about ‘The Ugly American’. Indians seem headed the same way, with their boasting ways, something V.S. Naipaul terms a genetic disorder.
Ramdas Bajjanbhai, Uganda
Saeed Naqvi’s Saudi Arabia Diary was a treat to read. His grasp over men and matters, and world and worldly affairs is impeccable. Hope we’ll get to read more from him.
S.C. Sharma, Palampur, HP
Saeed Naqvi’s diary showed the Shiite angst, enmity and desperation towards other Muslims. Especially the Salafi Muslims, who unlike others are strict adherents to the sources of Islam—the Quran and the Sunnah. They are also more prominent. Such maligning will do
Outlook no good. Emotions and propaganda already flow like a raging river, we have to be careful in voicing our opinion.
Mohd S. Siddiqui, on e-mail
Prem Shankar Jha’s column this time (The Law Turns Tyrant, Apr 10) isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The Supreme Court doesn’t interpret laws keeping in mind jobs of 3.5 million people. Nor do people become jobless just by the closing of illegal establishments. I remember the hue and cry that was raised when the SC passed orders for phasing out vehicles that did not comply to Euro norms or when cng was introduced. Today we’re grateful for that legislation. Delhi environment has never been better.
Naveen Tewari, New Delhi
Sabrina Lall in her interview (Apr 10) says "Bina Ramani had asked me to forget what happened since powerful people were involved". Agreed the Ramanis are guilty of stupidity, but Manu Sharma is the real culprit. He is the one who needs to be hounded more than the bird-brained Ramanis.
Navdeep Hans, Delhi
The media has stood up in a big way for Jessica, who was a high-profile victim. But what of Priyadarshini Mattoo, an anonymous victim? Doesn’t she deserve justice even though nothing about her case was high-profile?
Rina Sen, Calcutta
Women like Chandralekha (Making a Difference, Apr 10) show us how we can change our destiny. Condemned to prostitution by tradition and society, she had the fortitude to rise above it and make a difference not just to her own life, but also for others.
Supriya, Bangalore
Don’t give up on Lucknow yet, Mr Mehta ( Delhi Diary, Apr 10). Before you settle for your inhouse whisky session the next time you’re in town, don’t forget the green or yellow thandai of Chowk, Aminabad’s papri-chaat, Prakash’s kulfi or Ram Asrey’s mouth-watering gilauri!
Pramod Srivastava, on e-mail
Khushwant Singh makes for some fun reading even if we have only his word to go by for the inside info (Hamari Amrita, Apr 10).
Prachi, Charlottesville, US
