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'I am not sure what Vajpayee is angling for -- the Nobel peace price?'
E-mail from readers the world over
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Sun, 4 Jul 1999 11:50:42 -0500 Hats off to all my brave brothers! Vande Maataram.
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Sun, 04 Jul 1999 23:11:23 +0400 Congratulations to all our defence personnel who were involved in this operation. India is proud of you and I for one salute you. Muneer and family.
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:03:14 +0200 To what low levels can our politicians sink? Everyone is trying to be an expert. Has 'General' Chidambaram forgotten that to leave certain positions unoccupied was not a decision of the BJP. Instead it was a policy adopted by the successive Congress governments of which he was a member. Chidambaram was also present at the 'tea party' of traitors where loathsome Jayalalitha was persuaded to withdraw support from the ruling coalition even as Pakistani and Chinese ambassadors looked on appreciatively at India's modern-day Jaichands. Arun
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 06:03:47 -0700 I am not sure what Vajpayee is angling for -- the Nobel peace price? Pakistan's brutal acts should not be seen as an exception because these butchers follow a pattern. Vajpayeeji please shut down the Indian high commission in that wretched country and give a free hand to the army. Because of your ineptitude we are losing valiant soldiers everyday.
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:06:09 -0400 Dr Michael Krepon says in his interview, "I would not automatically assume that this is the handiwork of Pakistani soldiers." I wonder whether there is a chance for a third party to be present on the scene to perform such an utterly reprehensible act! Arya Sankar
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 17:18:35 +0200 Pakistan will be committing a big mistake if it pushes the nuclear button in case of a full-blown war with India. Fernandes was very right in his predicament that Pakistan may do it because it has shown what an irresponsible country it is by creating the Kargil situation despite fully knowing that India is much superior to it. Our intelligence agencies should be on their toes now and when it becomes imminent that Pakistan will use the nuke option, India should straight away target their nuke sites. Indian soldiers have been doing a great job keeping the Pakistanis at bay and they should now step up their campaign and throw out the intruders from Indian soil even if it means crossing the Line of Control. U Rao
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:45:37 -0400 I have listened to Bob Grant on and off for many years. I started when he was at WMCA in New York. Bob Grant is many things, but he is not a bigot as your report claims. (I think you know he is not, but need to say so to protect your pet governor.) Bob Grant is against special rights for anyone, including his friends, but for full and equal rights for everyone. He is a strong defender of American culture. We don't like all his views on immigration, but that does not make him a bigot. We realise that you are not used to this kind of political dialogue in India, where Brahminists impose their will on everyone else, but in America, this is considered appropriate, necessary, and healthy.
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 09:49:07 PDT Everyday, I hear about any number of our armed forces personnel getting killed in Kashmir. When the United States went on an offensive against Yugoslavia recently, they did not have a single casualty. Unfortunately, neither are our armed forces as advanced nor are the conditions in the valley close to manageable. Here, in the US, there is such a furore even when one of their men is killed in battle. We Indians should express the same level of support and appreciation for the hundreds who are giving their lives trying to preserve our integrity. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the loved ones of those who are fighting. Venkat Gopalakrishnan
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Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:16:02 -0500 Dear Dilip, I am glad you find time to write. While I believe that differing thoughts/opinions are critical for a healthy democracy, it is also the duty of those people who benefit from the fruits of democracy to defend it. Great democracies flourish because people who make it work are able to put their 'different' opinions aside and come together when there is need. A case in point is Americans on Kosovo. While there is debate on the issue, there is no doubt where the 'loyalty' lies. I am not speaking of blind loyalty. It is a question of right and wrong. It is people like you who fail to understand the price of freedom. Let me know how you helped during the freedom struggle. I suspect you weren't even born then. Who are you to say let the 'other' guy have what he wants? Do you know how many Indians gave their life for the freedom struggle and during the previous wars? If you have to research it -- forget it, I don't think you will take the trouble of doing it since you are a loser! Do you really believe that letting those 17,000 feet high peaks around Kargil go will stop the other side from wanting more? If the answer is yes, then I am really worried for you and the future of India. Why don't you go ask Squadron Leader Ahuja's parents if they feel like you do? I bet they don't. It is easy to sit where you are sitting and abuse the privilege of having access to millions of people. Maybe you just do it to be controversial -- you know -- get people to talk about you so that you can claim you are important? Thanks for your concern about the troops. It is no doubt hollow. Go back to your day job and be a geek. Folks like you are the reason why India still has to struggle for its security. Dushyant Patel
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Wed, 30 Jun 1999 05:57:36 +0530 The column is good and thought provoking. It, however, misses the point that Indians do better 'outside' India than inside. It is this focus which Nandy calls 'killer instinct.' We surely have more things to think of than 'war'; but when we have a war, we must focus on winning it. We can't win without focussing on it. Afterwards, yes, we can do share business and other things. A lack of 'killer instinct' on the part of Prithiviraj Chouhan saved Mohammed Ghori who then came back to kill him and change history. It permitted the Somnath temple to be ravaged 17 times because we had many other things to do. In the recent world cup cricket the Australians too displayed killer instinct: by ensuring that they worked to a plan and that all effort was devoted to winning. Nothing wrong in that. We can surely learn the killer instinct from them. In military terms, we must set only one aim for any project and then ensure that everything we do furthers that aim. It is our habit of setting too many aims which creates a devil of a problem.
Group Captain E N Gadre
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Wed, 30 Jun 1999 00:57:59 -0700 The Muslims are targeting Hindus and there is no protection being given to the latter. The BJP is doing the same mistake that Nehru did by isolating Kashmir and letting it be inhabited by Muslims alone. It is time to repopulate the place with armed Hindus who will fight back the fundamentalist Muslims.
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Wed, 30 Jun 99 12:53:58 EDT For heaven's sake please believe the government's figures on Indian casualties for the time being. You will have a hell lot of time to discuss that once the fighting is over. Pradip Saha
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Wed, 30 Jun 1999 12:27:17 -0500 Soldier X should be court-martialled. And Chindu Sreedharan -- if he thinks this is what is meant by freedom of the press -- well, he is anything but a patriot. Such reports only cause low morale among the troops and the people. And worst of all it provides encouragement to the Pakistanis. Chindu should be imprisoned. At a time like this it is necessary that the press work to help the cause of the nation. Instead, if the press comes up with things like this, I think it is working against the national interest. Same with the political parties. By having open discussions in the Rajya Sabha, what is it that the Congress or others want to achieve? Make public things which should be discussed only behind closed doors! Already we have had enough of sundry Deve Gowdas revealing confidential information on the floor of the house. What else is to come? I am sure if Chindu found out accidentally the army's plans for attacking the enemy and flushing them out, he would be thrilled to print those and not care about the enemy exploiting that information. Such 'brave' reporters, India can do without. Tapas
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Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:11:47 -0700 I do not understand why we are taking so many casualties in our stride. Is this place too close to the Line of Control that air strikes will result in violation of Pakistan's air space? If not why are we exposing so many jawans to suicide in such open terrain? Can anybody give a logical explanation on the course of action the Indian armed forces are taking in this sector? We should remember that we are not the aggressors and we have every right to show no mercy at all to the infiltrators and to Pakistani regulars!
Indrojit Deb
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Thu, 1 Jul 1999 13:40:00 +0600 At last, a breath of fresh air ! Maybe you should consider publishing more material like this. No other country in the subcontinent can be India's equal, that is obvious. But India can be the affectionate big brother, giving more than taking. It is possible that the war ambience is simply a wag-the-dog ploy by a political party which sees no other way to re-establish itself. There is so much venom in rediff.com these days. There was even an article against Bangladesh by Kanchan Gupta. People in neighbouring countries keep hoping the madness will not escalate to a nuclear war endangering the whole subcontinent.
A Shafee
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Thu, 01 Jul 1999 12:57:01 +0530 In Pakistan history appears to be repeating itself. That nation is dominated by the armed forces, the Punjabi elite and, now, Islamic fundamentalists. These elites want to remain dominant and protect their position and privileges at any cost, come what may. Right from the time of Liakhat Ali Khan this pattern has been going on.
T Philip Mathai
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Thu, 1 Jul 1999 21:48:13 +0530 What Kapil Dev has said is absolutely right. I am glad somebody has had the guts to put the feelings of the nation into words. Anyone who feels otherwise is a moron. There are Indian lives being lost due to a war created by Pakistan. Where is the question of politics in this? Things are much beyond that. Loss of young lives is not a small matter. The brave young men who are fighting the enemy are the future of the country. It is a shameful thing that people can talk politics when young lives are being lost. Kapil has given a voice to our feelings.
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Fri, 02 Jul 1999 16:16:33 +0530 I am a regular visitor to your site. I read this report and I couldn't hold back my tears. Kapil is a true Indian and anyone who differs with his views should check for himself whether he is true to his country. Hats off to Kapil not only for airing his views but also for his concerns about the soldiers' families. How many cricket stars (who are ambassadors of this country) have visited the soldiers after Kapil mooted the idea? I wish Sachin too would visit the soldiers since he is a source of inspiration for many of them. As Kapil says, we don't have to play cricket with Pakistan while they stab us from behind in Kargil. Let us unite in this hour of crisis and support those stars who are doing us proud. Finally, thanks to rediff.com for this opportunity to air my views.
Venkatesan
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Thu, 01 Jul 1999 13:02:53 -0700 Yes, yes, we know this guy is a BJP ideologue -- how come rediff.com has so many of them? -- but why won't he comment on the fact that it was a certain A B Vajpayee who led the charge against the government in 1962, demanding explanations ad nauseum? Besides, the China war nearly led India into the American camp, as money and munitions poured in. So let's hope Gupta's employers won't make us subordinate partners in a new world order once the Kargil crisis is over.
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