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December 30, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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'Vajpayee should declare an Emergency'
How Readers reacted to Pritish Nandy's recent columns
Date sent: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:42:24 -0500
Congratulations on posting this excellent article. Somehow I have a feeling that the older our politicians get the more corrupt they become. I feel we should have young people in our Parliament. Youth are more idealistic and upright. Old people are notorious and worthless. They cannot look after themselves, so how will they look after the nation? How does India tolerate those morons?
Saurabh Banerjee
Date sent: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 09:59:45 -0800
Pritish, We don't need a journalist or an MP to tell this. We know. What we need to know is what are *you* doing about it? As an MP of the ruling coalition what's your plan? Can you ask these questions point blank to your colleagues and leaders (instead of us)? How do they respond? Stop ranting. Do *something* and tell us about it.
Date sent: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:20:18 -0800 (PST)
As usual very very good and very practical. But I have one question: till a few months ago, he was just a journalist. But now he is an MP. So has he implemented what he is writing? Does he walk the walk and talk the talk... or does he just write? Given a chance, I can also write columns and columns on what needs to be done. But I don't do it since I can't implement it as of now. But currently Nandy is in a position whereby he can do something. If being in that position does not account for anything let him resign and just write. I would very much appreciate if you can ask Pritish to write an article on what he has done till now as an MP & also what anyone in Parliament has done as MP/MLA. Cheers and please respond. S Srivatsa
Date sent: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 13:31:56 -0500 (EST)
What is the relevance of this article? I am sure UNDFW has such data on sex selling for other countries in Europe and North America too. And as far as "Okay, forget the crime. Look at the freedom of expression. The right to be heard "goes, where was Pritish when there was such a cry about Mani Ratnam's Bombay ? What was his position on that issue? The whole Fire issue boils down to hypocrisy of media-men like Pritish. I really feel like scorning it -- why did Dilip Kumar (I still wonder why he doesn't use the name Yusuf Khan) or Shabana not comment when Salman Rushdie had his book banned in India? Why? Wasn't it a matter of "freedom of expression"? As for freedom of expression goes, I want to produce a film that shows incest in a Muslim family -- let's see what Pritish has to say about my freedom of expression. Pritish do not understand the very subtle line between freedom and misuse. And I wonder what makes him not understand this at such a point in his career! Let's rename the names in Fire to Zahiraa and Zarina, re-screen it and find out what Yusuf and Shabana have to say. Let's please!
Date sent: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 11:23:13 -0800 (PST)
Mr Nandy really lost it when he joined the decrepit band of thugs called Shiv Sena. Here he comes up with yet another specious argument -- the freedom of expression cannot be selective or partial! Now, is that true Mr Nandy? Didn't the free-est country on earth, the US dither with the release of the film Lolita since it showed an older man falling in love with a child? Our people are mature enough to decide on personal issues like sexuality. However our politicians are immature, and it was for them that a play on Nathuram Godse was banned. For politicians like you Mr Nandy.
Anant P Singh
Date sent: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 15:24:01 -0800
I can accept Pritish Nandy's statement about the hypocrisy of wanting to ban the play about Godse, but not the hue and cry about the Shiv Sena wanting to ban Fire. But is that really what the hue and cry is about, Mr Nandy? I am not upset because the Shiv Sena wants to ban the movie. That is their right to want it banned if it upsets them. What I am upset about is that because the Indian Censor Board (not the most liberal of bodies) did NOT ban it, the Shiv Sena chose to use force to shut it down anyway and prevent people from seeing it. This was not a clandestine group of people watching a bootleg copy of a banned film. Those people had a right to see that film but the Shiv Sena decided it knew better what was good for them. Mr Nandy asks at the end of the column: " So why be afraid of free choice? Why wear shackles when you can run free?" Why indeed, Mr Nandy? Why is the Shiv Sena so afraid of free choice that it needs to prevent everyone from seeing Fire? After re-reading your eloquent column I still didn't find the answer and I did not find anything in there that condemned the actions of those who stampeded the theatres and forced the shows to be cancelled. Mr Nandy, if your editor allowed one of your columns to be printed, but a political party took exception to it and forced every news-stand selling the magazine to burn all issues because they didn't like what you wrote, would you be so complacent?
Sandip Roy
Date sent: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 18:05:55 -0500
Excellent.
Narendra
Date sent: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 19:53:13 -0500
You said it straight and rightly so. I have been totally disappointed with the BJP's timid performance. The idiots were busy saving their saffron head-dresses, but they lost their heads. They proved to be more a rat than a cat. They never went for a kill, but searched for a carcass. This is not the way to build and lead a nation. The jackals in Parliament are out for a kill as they have tasted blood of a wounded BJP on the streets of Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Even if they govern India for the next 30 days or 30 months, the BJP and its allies should govern it with a vision, determination, dedication and boldness. Otherwise, the BJP at least will be consigned to the dustbin of history and rightly so, together with the Congress. The BJP leadership should know that if any harm comes to the integrity, security and economy of the country they would be held accountable together with the Congress, the Communists and those silly Yadavas. Satyapaul
Date sent: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 08:00:47 GMT
Mr Vajpayee can and should ameliorate all his political problems by immediately announcing an Emergency. It will have the added advantage that the whole Congress party, led by none other than Mani Shankar Aiyar, will rally behind the BJP for the constitutional propriety of its governance. And our government and country will flourish again, just like in the good old days of Congress rule.
Date sent: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 14:28:27 -0600
Pritish Nandy's commentary on the BJP is the most damning one I have ever heard. I have been a strong BJP supporter, because of its policies, and star leaders like Vajpayee, Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Brajesh Misra etc, which sort of conveyed to me that the middle-rung leaders may also be of great character and ability. But it seems that the middle-rung quality leaders just aren't there to put their shoulder to the cart. Even the RSS is not happy with the BJP. It is a mystery why the BJP, with its solid ideology and reputation for integrity, is not able to make room for the best talents in the country for various ministries. The first one to go should be Mr Yashwant Sinha. He should be replaced by a top-notch economist with an international reputation. It must be recalled that the former PM, Mr P V Narsimha Rao, had recruited Manmohan Singh as the finance minister from obscurity. I think the present sorry state of affairs makes the best case for a Presidential system in India so that the elected president can appoint his own team. Pradip Parekh
Date sent: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 10:31:26 -0800
I am a regular reader of Rediff and I like Pritish Nandy. First of all, I think that this government is one of the best India has ever seen. I think the reasons for failure are: 1. Fights between local leaders. 2. People had a lot of expectations about the BJP sarkar. They were disappointed. It is as if I am very much frustrated with the current system (Congress) and I just hope out of frustration that the BJP will do magic. But the voters should understand that no party can do magic because nobody can change the system overnight. It will be a slow process because our democratic machinery is very slow and the government has a thin majority. But people don't vote after exercising their brain. They vote on feelings and the image of the party. Here, I agree with Pritish that the BJP should bring in new brains for image management. I think that the BJP should eliminate all fighting leaders and bring new leaders. This defeat is a small punishment given to the BJP for improvement. It has nothing to do with the Congress because that party cannot be changed by voting for or against it.
Date sent: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 13:16:19 -0500
Well said! Sarat
Date sent: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 14:21:41 +0000
This is one of those rare occasions when I end up agreeing with Pritish. He has very elegantly analysed the BJP's problems. All I can add is that the RSS has grown too big and too fast. The top leadership there is simply brilliant, selfless and visionary. The problem lies with the middle-rung, which has grown too soon and too fast. These people joined the RSS in the last 8 to 10 years, and has not struggled at all. They want to use the RSS or its related organisations to gain political space by proxy. Formally there may not be a link between the two, but they do share a symbiotic relationship. This change in the profile of an RSS activist (now more in the line of the Yuvak Congress of yesteryears) has had a negative effect on the image of the BJP. It certainly looks more like the Congress. Prabhat |
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