READERS' FORUM

The contract marriage menace in Hyderabad (Organiser, 27.11.11); This refers to ‘The contract marriage menace in Hyderabad’ by Shaina NC in Organiser. It has been stated that nikahnamas and divorce papers are signed at the same time i.e. during the time of marriage. This clearly shows the evil intentions of the Arab Sheikhs and now even ordinary people from the Middle-East are doing this. The parents of the innocent Muslim girls and qazis performing nikah are to be equally blamed for these contract marriages. If the Muslim society has failed to prevent it, it is the responsibility of the government to enact some law to make divorce difficult in Muslim society. When the secular government of India can interfer with the Hindu Law, by introducing provision for divorce, considered a taboo in Hindu dharma, why can't it interfere in Muslim Law also? This has resulted in breaking of families, social evils and social crimes. Divorce not only spoil the lives of husband and wife, but is a curse for the children. It is bad for the entire humanity. It may be added, that religions like Islam and Christianity are based on blind faith, and logic has no place in them. On the other hand Hindu dharma is based on logic. Hindu dharma which is based on Vedas in universal and eternal, which considers divorce as sin. Government of India headed by Nehru had thrust this evil on Hindu society which must be removed.

—Anand Prakash,
72, Sector-8, Panchkula-134 109

A war against Congress corruption (Organiser, 27.11.11); This is with reference to the front page news item ‘A war against Congress corruption’ in Organiser. For all the practical purposes war against corruption is equal to war against Congress and all its supporters. Corruption has taken its name as Congress as far as India is concerned. Earlier foreign invaders used to loot India and go away. But, this Congress is one step ahead of such foreign looters. It loots and allows foreign powers to loot for some commission. So corruption has become hi-fi. Corruption is not only at national level but equally at international level. Thus let me certify that Congress is master of corruption of high standard. Media is playing in the hands of rulers, this is but natural but the media will eat dust in the case of its effort to ridicule or belittle the massive response to Jan Chetana Yatra of Shri LK Advani. Not only Advaniji but every voter knows that Manmohan Singh is himself corrupt and an uncapable PM and is heading most corrupt and worst ever government in the history. Is it not a fact that, Britishers ruled over India for around 200 years and looted Rs one lakh crore only but our people [only Congress people] have looted more than 25 lakh crore and deposited in foreign (Swiss) banks in the last 64 years. What a shame to every Congress person and its well wishers. I am hopeful that Advani’s clan will grow and prevail upon “Corrupt to the bone” Congress and we may get a government of the Indians, for the Indians unlike the present Congress which is exclusively of traitors and foreigners.

—Smt. Suhasini Pramod Valsangkar,
Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad-500 060

Hindu-Muslim marriages and ‘Love Jehad’ (Organiser, 23.10.11); Apropos of ‘Hindu Muslim marriages and ‘Love Jehad’’ by Shri JG Arora in Organiser. The phenomenon of non-Muslim girls marrying Muslim boys is universal. In Europe, England, America and India too, this is happening. But no where such a hue and cry is raised as in our country. ‘Love Jehad’ is a mischievous term and inappropriate with ‘love’ which is a tender, affectionate and have noble feeling. There is no dearth of females in the Muslim community and if Muslim boys marry non-Muslim girls they infact deprive the rights of Muslim girls! The writer, instead of blaming Muslim boys should peep into his own collar before criticising others. The dowry system, brides burning, inferior matrimonial customs, no inheritance from parents and low status as a wife in her culture all make a humble girl inferior in her our society. When she finds a Muslim boy on a higher and dignified position, she is naturally attracted to the Muslim society.

—Tanvir Fatima,
Sandesh Bhavan, Lakkad Kote, Chatta Bazar, Hyderabad-500 002

Telangana agitation is baseless The agitation for acquiring a state for Telangana for developing backward areas of that region, is a futile exercise and baseless agitation. It is better that the leaders and politicians of different parties and regions of Andhra Pradesh come together, get united and work harmoniously, with maturity and understanding and bring in an uniform and overall development in the State, leaving aside selfishness, corruption, favouritism, and nepotism, for a better Andhra tomorrow. I personally feel that increase in means and methods of administration and governance can be the only solution to overcome the chronic problem prevailing in a region like Telangana and not merely a demand for a separate statehood of any region of a State. Moreover, the very fact that Telangana region contains the capital of the existing State of Andhra Pradesh, will outright defy the possibilities of acquiring a status of state for this region.

—Seturam Aspari, asparam@rediffmail.com

Creating a supra-state of Nagaland Centre’s handling of the issues relating to the North-East has always lacked transparency and often crucial decisions have been taken ignoring the ground realities. It is difficult to accept that the NSCN (IM) has given up both their core demands of sovereignty and Nagalim without getting something in return. The reality in the conflict ridden North-East today is that alongwith peace the people want to participate as equal partners in the economic growth process of the country. Sovereignty, statehood, etc. are no longer the core issues, except for the militant groups who use them as bargaining tools to wrest the maximum concessions from the Central Government to secure their own future at the cost of the future of the North-East. The North-East can only become secure if unlike in the past the Centre’s future policy decisions are based on prevailing realities and not on some pre-conceived notions about the region.

—Pranjit Agarwala,
H/No: 5, Kundil Path, Rukmininagar, Wireless, Guwahati-781 006

Demand against AFSPA in J&K (Organiser, 20.11.12); Just days after Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah’s announcement about lifting the Disturbed Areas Act and  the Armed Forces Specials Powers  Act (AFSPA) in Jammu and Kashmir there have been attacks on the security forces in different places by suspected militants. I feel this should be an eye opener to Omar Abdullah that militants are just waiting  to occupy Jammu and Kashmir in case AFSPA is lifted from the State. Shockingly, National Conference spokesperson and Omar Abdullah’s uncle Mustafa Kamal and  hardliner Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani accused the Army of carrying out these  attacks themselves in order to stop the removal of AFSPA. I feel that the separatist and the politicians are  on the same platform in attacking those assigned with the duties of protecting the people of Kashmir.

—Bharat Arora, Mayur Vihar-1, Delhi: 110 091

How Devavrath became Bhishma (Organiser, 6.11.11); ‘How Devavrath became Bhishma’, a write-up by Manju Gupta in ‘Kids Org (6.11.11) is a nice piece, but it has a black blot also as regards the facts. In Mahabharata and other treatises, it is narrated and repeated again and again that a fisherman’s daughter named ‘Matsyagandha’ was the mother of Krishna Dvaipayan later called as Ved Vyas. Maharshi Parashar was his father and that is why Vyas is also called ‘Parasharya’. As this same Matsyagandha had given birth to her first son named Krishna in an island of Yamuna river, so he was called Dvaipayan Krishna to differentiate him from Vasudev Krishna. Both these Krishnas were born at the last phase of Dvapar Era and are called ‘Bhagwan’. This same ‘Matsyagandha’ was renamed as Satyavati when Shantanu, the king of Hastinapur married her. The place was not the shore of ocean but that of river Yamuna. Let it be corrected accordingly so that kids and other readers of Organiser are not misled.

—Anand Mishra ‘Abhay’,
Sanskriti Bhawan, Rajendra Nagar, Lucknow-226 004

Omar Abdullah’s Party The conception to restore perpetual peace in Kashmir Valley by revoking extraordinary powers entrusted to security forces under the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) is foolishness and self deception. Peace cannot be established by bowing head or surrendering before anti-national elements and disruptive forces. This action will become boon for enemy Pakistan for accelerating its subversive activities through its cat’s paw. Both Omar Abdullah and Congress have been doing Pakistan’s way more easy. National Conference and Congress are two sides of the same coin and are neither serious nor least bothered about the security and integrity of the nation. They may go to any extent for their political end. Who is responsible for this sorry state of affairs in J&K? Of course late PM Pt. Nehru. J&K is still visible in India’s map because of tremendous sacrifice of brave patriotic jawans and officers of Indian troops. Every patriotic Indian citizen should strongly oppose and condemn the proposed obnoxious act of NC and its ally Congress. Why Omar Abdullah’s, party should be called as National Conference? Actually it is anti-National Conference Party.

—Sridhar V Kulkarni, Kalyan (West) Maharashtra

Sonia’s two sisters interfering in functioning of various ministries: Swamy

Dear Prime Minister,

I write this letter to inform you that well placed members of your Government have expressed to me in confidence their disgust and sorrow at the open interference into the functioning of various ministries by the two sisters of Ms Sonia Gandhi, namely, Ms Anushka Vinci and Ms Nadia who are Italians citizens but now frequently reside in 10, Janpath, New Delhi which premises had been allotted to their sister Ms Sonia Gandhi. The problem is the undue and uncalled for interference by these two ladies. This has national security implications since not only they are citizens of a foreign country (Italy) but their activities in Dubai and London reveal their contacts with unsavoury and anti-Indian characters. Their mode of travel by private jet which are owned by dubious characters accentuate the national security threat. As you know that the conditions of their Indian visa do not permit these activities and in fact warrant the cancellation of their visas. Hence I request you to make a suitable enquiry by officers of RAW and Intelligence Bureau who are known not to have improper proximity with the family of Ms Sonia Gandhi and her siblings. I strongly urge you to see that these ladies be deported from India to Italy if they continue such activities.Best Regards,

Yours Sincerely,

—SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY, dinesh1234@gmail.com

Rahul a slow learner Rahul Gandhi must realise that just visiting Dalit households will not serve any purpose. Just by visiting their houses and having food with them will not enable him to win the elections. It seems that Rahul has not  learnt any lesson from the reverses Congress suffered in Bihar elections where  he followed the same tactics.

—Ritha Sagar, Chennai

Adamant Omar New Delhi must not sacrifice national interest for Omar Abdullah’s political interest and should not support him in lifting the AFSPA. Not only the Army and the Union Ministry of Defence opposed Abdullah’s move but also two committees comprising senior Army and State officials, formed by Abdullah himself to examine the matter have said that the ground situation is not ripe for repealing the Act. Yet Omar Abdullah seems to be adamant on his stand apparently in a bid to get out of the political mess that he has landed in. I feel Omar should focus on improving governance in the State which will complement the army’s efforts to restore normalcy. Lets not forget that J&K continues to face threats from across the LoC and the separatists. Further the Indian Army has made innumerable sacrifices to achieve a fledgling peace in the Valley. In order to sustain peace, the Army very much needs AFSPA.

—Raminder Singh,
B-224, Industrial Area, Phase-1 Delhi

13th petrol price hike in 14 months (Organiser, 20.11.11); The hike in petrol prices has come as a bolt from the blue. The repeated hike in petrol prices by the UPA government has made mockery of free economy. Economy—whether free on captive—should be designed with the aim of making the consumer’s life easy, not difficult. With this increase in petrol prices it needs no further elaboration that the worst effected is the aam aadmi. Statistically there is a continuous upward revision in petrol prices since petrol prices were deregulated in June 2010. It is time that we should follow a uniform tax structure across the country to relieve the difficulties faced by the citizens. Secondly fuel eating vehicles should be phased out and government should encourage electronic vehicles. And lastly if the oil companies are mismanaged, they should be either privatised or given a thorough overhaul.     

—Bibhu Dutt Patel, Orissa