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'I know intellectuals in Bangalore who cannot even locate Anantapur on a map'

E-mail from readers the world over

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 21:01:10 -0700
From: Peter Claus <pclaus@csuhayward.edu>
Subject: The killing fields of Rayalaseema

J S Sai has done a good job on his several articles on southern Andhra Pradesh. It is good to see this much-neglected region of India getting some honest coverage. I know many intellectuals in Bangalore who cannot even locate Anantapur on a map.

Peter Claus

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 17:29:23 -0500
From: Mathew, Paul <pamathew@utmb.edu>
Subject: 'Our first priority is to ensure that a foreign woman must neither win in India ...'

Fascinating, the intellectual bankruptcy of these people. Protecting India from the foreign woman! This is the mantra of the Bharatiya Janata Party. I have not heard even one of these candidates say anything about education or the environment. No, it's Kargil or the foreigner.

God help us.

Date: Sat, 04 Sep 1999 08:32:49 +0530
From: R Narayana Swamy<rnsmns@md3.vsnl.net.in>
Subject: Gift of the gab

The problem is that our politicians do not have the reading habit. They do not think about any of the problems of the country. And finally we have to blame the educational institutions they have attended.

Not much hope. I agree with you that it would be wonderful if there are a few leaders or parliamentarians who could deliver speeches that will be worth remembering.

Narayana Swamy

Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 09:18:16 EDT
From: Shankar Narayan<choochim@hotmail.com>
Subject: Interview with Subramanian Swamy

Once again Subramanian Swamy has proved that he excels in his role as a master clown in the Indian National Political Circus. What amazes Swamy's fans like me is the fact that despite being a 'one-man' party, literally, he never ceases to have some influence over the major leaders of the day. Where else, but in India, could this happen?

Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 08:16:05 +0530
From: Anand Shyam <anand.shyam@bharat.net>
Subject: Congress to pit Karan Singh against Vajpayee

With due respect to Dr Karan Singh, I would like to reiterate that he, or for that matter any other Kashmiri, should not be permitted to contest elections from any constituency other than in Jammu and Kashmir, just as we, non-Kashmiris, cannot stand for elections from any constituency in J&K.

We must abrogate Article 370. It is high time we brought J&K into the mainstream. We must not pamper Kashmiris any more. We must encourage them to work as hard as other Indians and help them not to depend on subsidies. Fifty two years of subsidies are more than any section of Indians deserve. The continuing applicability of Article 370 is, in reality, an insult to our Constitution.

Anand Shyam

Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 09:26:08 +0500
From: Dr T Gopinathan <tgopi@md3.vsnl.net.in>
Subject: Karan Singh for Lucknow

This is a classical example of a good man being sacrificed in the name politics. Karan Singh is a person whose capabilities could have been utilised by the Congress party for better things: for example, he could have been made the Congress president. This would have taken the Congress to far greater heights than possible by the present incumbent.

Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 14:13:25 -0400
From: KRM <krm0@home.com>
Subject: Dr Karan Singh

Karan Singh is known for his erudition and as an intellectual but he is considered a misfit in the political arena. He may be a good chairman of the Sahitya Academy, but as a cabinet member under Indira Gandhi his performance was lacklustre and marginal.

In my opinion, he should not have agreed to contest against Prime Minister Vajpayee as he is the kind of person who deserves to be elected unanimously.

Dr R Kuppachi

Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 12:59:01 -0400
From: P Abad <abad@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>
Subject: 'I have heard Chandra Swami is doing a havan so that I will be defeated!'

In the 'campaign trail' article on Rajesh Pilot, how come Sonia Gandhi's name does not appear even once?

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 12:42:57 -0700
From: Jeet S Wallia <wallia@usa.net>
Subject: 'Why should we vote? We are not part of India?'

In reading this article I was struck by the absolute banality of the responses given by various politicians and officials to the questions put to them. To conduct an election without being able to provide full security to the voters belies the concept of "free and fair" elections.

Kudos to the brave electorate who chose to vote despite their lives being threatened. I would like to remind those people who complained about their vote being wasted that a people only get the kind of government they deserve.

The young man who didn't consider himself an Indian should be taught the meaning of the word namakharam and 'encouraged' to move to a country he can call his own.

Jeet S Wallia

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 10:18:16 +0530
From: Lakshman K N V S M <lakshman@sasi.com>
Subject: The Congress: Sinking with Sonia

It's all very well for T V R Shenoy to speculate about the number of seats each alliance is going to win and who is going to be the prime minister. I am neither a psephologist nor an astrologer (is there a difference between the two?).

So I won't comment on who is going to occupy the prime ministerial chair. My only concern is about how long is any of them going to stay there. I don't know how any of these jokers are planning to stay in the government for a full term.

Look at the Congress bandwagon. It has the same people who brought down the last government with little concern for the public or for democratic norms.

The BJP's gang is no better. Instead of Jayalalitha it will be Chautala this time, or Sharad Yadav or maybe Mamata Banerjee. None of them are any better than Jayalalitha.

I couldn't vote this time, but I sure plan to vote next year, which is when I expect the next round of farce.

Lakshman

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