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December 2, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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'The elections for the state assemblies are no reflection on Vajpayee's government'
How Readers responded to Arvind Lavakare's recent columns
Date sent: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 10:40:20 -0500 Bravo!! That was a very impressive article and I have admiration for people like you. I pray that more and more of us (Indians) think like you do. It is time for people like you to form an ACTIVE organisation and impress upon the general public the facts, so that ordinary Indians (the passive anything-goes-Indian who lets his emotion rather than his principles and responsibilities dictate his actions, especially when it comes time to exercise his most important responsibility -- to VOTE) will wake up, be more responsible and make a difference. Pat Chendrimada
Date sent: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 16:54:47 -0700 My commendations for an excellently written article, particularly, the latter half dealing with J&K. Sanjay
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 13:57:04 -0500 Excellent!! Excellent!! A spectacular debut Arvind!! Rediff, get some more columnists like these, will ya!!! I want this guy paid, fed, chauffeured and, yes, throw in a bungalow or two as well. Amit Rajesh Nishar
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 20:36:45 EST It is time someone provided more unbiased opinion. It is true that most of the English media is anti-BJP and to some extent pseudo secular. I totally agree that the BJP should be on the offensive, and its leaders should be more aggressive. Whether it is their own allies or the Opposition, the BJP should not compromise where its policies look feeble and noncommittal. No doubt with more experience at the Centre, it is learning fast on how to counter the English media and the Opposition's propaganda. The common answer by a party losing an election is, 'Oh! It is an anti establishment vote,' not so true as the Communists keep ruling West Bengal, how come? These parties need to study that (WB example) and incorporate it into their platform. D Bhalla
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 19:17:57 EST That's a good article with a lot of truth. What we all have to understand is that good PR is the best way to get people. Sajith
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 10:43:45 -0700 Thank you Arvind for an excellent analysis. I am gaining more respect for Rediff which is trying to accommodate all different ideologies. I completely agree with Arvind. Let's see what the likes of Dilip D'Souza and Saisuresh have to say about this. Sameer Kuppahalli
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 22:30:19 EST Excellent article bringing to light the pseudo secular nature of English newspapers in India, especially The Hindu. The Hindu is one Indian daily that gives not only news but also its Communist oriented (foolish) views also when it comes to the BJP. It is high time the readers of The Hindu send some strong message to the Communist-minded management, by not buying this paper. Kailasam
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 21:18:55 EST The article makes sense and exposes the weakness of the BJP's PR problems. It is a typical problem when there is no balance between the contents and form. The BJP is basically different and rich in content, and a hostile motivated press has not made it easy to escape this vital lapse in form. In fact all departments must be manned by professional managers as far as possible. However, they must be accountable to and monitored by dedicated proven representative leaders of the country. Rasik Sanghvi
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 14:51:07 -0600 Informative as it was about the nonexistent PR in the BJP, Arvind's article suggests that he has appointed himself to that post and seems to single handedly defend the inadequacies of this government, which time and again has proved its ineptness. The BJP's inabilities seems to be rooted in the problem of not coming up with innovative ideas, and at the same time it falls into the traps of its own making. Granted the media has been exceptionally harsh in condemning the new government without giving it adequate time to settle down. It's worthwhile mentioning here that Rajiv Gandhi was given lots of time to prove himself when he led the Congress to a massive mandate, which of course he squandered later. It was as if the the media was afraid it would lose its secular credentials if they were seen sympathetic to a new government. But this should not be the sole reason why Arvind should lash out against The Hindu or in general against any English press. It is really absurd for him to suggest that the BJP should file a defamation suit against a newspaper that is well known for its thoughtfulness. In lashing out against the English press Arvind seems to be committing the very mistakes that the English press are purportedly accusing the BJP of doing viz shortsightedness. Unlike the vernacular newspapers in the north, The Hindu, irrespective of whatever the name suggests, has never used its paper to push the Hindu religion. It does carry articles on Hindu scriptures daily, but it has been known to carry articles on enlightenment from other religious scriptures as well. Arvind shows his naivety by conveniently forgetting this. The Hindu has been singularly consistent in its criticism of any inadequacies in any government. I really don't see any reason why the new government's ineptness should be blamed on the English press.
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 19:44:44 -0500 I hope some of the BJP people read it.
Date sent: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 12:45:20 +0800 Congratulations and best regards from Shyam Mohan Garg from Malaysia. May be difficult to remember a bald man now, ex-Sicom. Just went through your article, little in favour of the BJP but blasting the urban English press. We in Malaysia -- the Indian community have always been divided for or against the BJP. My reasoning for criticising the BJP is as follows: Nowadays a government in India is formed by a party securing about 33 per cent votes. That means 66 per cent were against or neutral. Therefore 66 per cent will keep blowing their own trumpet against the ruling party, such as your fellow columnist Dilip D'Souza. But the predicament of the ruling party is whether to satisfy those who voted them, ie, 33 per cent or those who have not voted for them, and they will always be against the ruling party. Over simplistic, but with this argument I have been successful in silencing many who talk against the BJP. Shyam Garg
Date sent: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 00:39:03 -0800 This column is absolute nonsense! Sorry to use such hard words, but to be quite honest, the writer -- who is also a part of the English language media in India -- seems to have his own axe to grind against his colleagues in the print medium. It is sad that Rediff, which carries quite readable and excellent editorial material normally, has come up with a columnist like Lavakare. I think it would do the entire country -- not to mention the rest of the web community -- a great deal of good if Lavakare just stuck to reporting on the game of gentlemen, which he obviously isn't!!
Bharat Suneja
Date sent: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:04:44 PST Fabulous article Mr Lavakare. Please keep it up.
C Chatterjee
Date sent: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:45:16 -0800 Appreciate the effort. Arvind's debut century is just superb! Regarding the Srikrishna Commission report, Arvind referred to Hindu Vivek Kendra's comments/booklet. These comments are available at http://www.hvk.org Prasad
Date sent: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 18:42:53 -0500 Very well written. |
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