What’s in a name
Sir — Bhakts are often known to concoct imaginary plaudits that glorify the prime minister, Narendra Modi. For instance, they were once convinced that Unesco had declared Modi the ‘best prime minister’. But this time they had news reports from trustworthy sources to back up their claim — the well-known actor, Johnny Depp, is all set to direct a film on ‘Modi’ with none other than Al Pacino playing an important role. Unfortunately, before they could relish gloating over this news, the Modi in question turned out to be the impoverished artist, Amedeo Modigliani. Ironically, his nickname, Modi, comes from the French word for accursed.
Trisha Sikdar, Calcutta
Decisive win
Sir — There are several reasons why the Bharatiya Janata Party has been defeated so comprehensively in Karnataka (“Southern crucible”, May 14). One among these is the fact that after the Lingayat strongman, B.S. Yediyurappa, was shunted out, the BJP did not have a face for its campaign. Yediyurappa’s exit from a leadership role meant that the party failed to retain its core Lingayat vote bank. Moreover, the BJP had focused on its achievements at the national level while campaigning. At the local level, the fanning of communal issues backfired for the BJP. The corruption charges against it did not help matters.
The Congress was smart about not attacking the prime minister. Instead, it stayed firm on highlighting corruption charges against the BJP and the latter’s failure to deliver on its promises. One hopes that the Congress government delivers better governance in the state.
Shameek Bose, Calcutta
Sir — The BJP lost in Karnataka because of its attempts to create religious rifts in society. People are far more concerned about basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. The results prove that people are tired of BJP’s caste and religious politics. Voters in Karnataka chose wisely and the mace of Bajrangbali turned into a boomerang for the saffron party.
Sudhir Kangutkar, Thane
Sir — Saam daam dand bhed — nothing worked for the BJP in Karnataka. The state has shown the rest of the country how to resist the temptation of being distracted from bread and butter issues. The Congress has come to power, but it should remember that if it fails to deliver on its promises, voters will boot the party out of power. It is this kind of holding legislators and political parties accountable that is the mark of a mature democracy.
Aritra Sengupta, Calcutta
Sir — The coverage of the Karnataka election results by mainstream news channels has, once again, shown why they are losing viewership and credibility (“BJP-bin Dakshin”, May 14). The extent of the Congress’s victory was unexpected. But if Rahul Gandhi is always blamed for the party’s losses, why should he not be given credit for the Karnataka win? BJP spin doctors and the ‘godi media’ are trying to cook up various theories about why the BJP lost.But all of them are disregarding the role of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi.
Anthony Henriques, Mumbai
Sir — In all the endless TV chatter, which passes for ‘analysis’, that was generated by news channels, the anti-incumbency factor was downplayed. This ignores several positive aspects of the campaigns that have borne fruit for the Congress. The first, and most important, was the visibility and engagement of local leaders with issues that mattered to the people. The Congress’s early promise of five guarantees was a well-chalked-out response to problems that people in the state are facing on a daily basis.
B. Kumar, Bengaluru
Sir — It was so refreshing to watch the traditional ground reporting in the programme, ‘Elections Online’, which was put together by five independent online news portals. Analysis that did not need to be screamed out and five channels combing their resources instead of trying to outdo the other in an effort to garner TRP is a rare event in India.
Swathi Roy, Calcutta
Sir — Critics of the Congress will no doubt say that the party won despite Rahul Gandhi, and that credit must be given to the local leaders of the state. These are the same people who, when the BJP wins, love to say that the Modi magic worked, but heap blame on local leaders when the party loses. There is no taking away from the work of local leaders in Karnataka. But Rahul Gandhi has finally thrown down the gauntlet for the BJP in earnest.
Abhijit Chakraborty, Howrah
Sir — Hailing the Congress’s decisive win in the Karnataka assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of the state and vowed to fulfil the party’s five guarantees in the very first cabinet meeting. These promises are aimed at the poor, women and the youth. Rahul Gandhi should ensure that he holds his party accountable in the state. It is his Bharat Jodo Yatra that changed the narrative in the state and, as such, he will be answerable to the people because it is in him that they have reposed their faith.
Madhumita Guha, Calcutta
