LETTERS
Jammu & Kashmir rightsare of the utmostimportance.
Theyhaveneithertimenor the where-
withalto understandthe intricaciesand
complexitiesof the present-daycapital-
ist structuresthat enhancethe wealthof
the wealthyin myriadways.Trump,Er-
dogan,Modi,MarineLe Pen and the like
are onlyfrontsfor the wealthyto utilise
politicalvectorssuchas religion,lan-
guage,ethnicityand racefor a speedier
accumulationof wealth.Throughoutthe
historyof civilisations,the wealthyutil-
ised everyopportunityas a politicalvec-
tor to retainand enhancetheirprivilege.
Whilereformssuchas restrictionson
propertyand inheritancerightsare not a
panacea,theywill,overa few genera-
tions,give ordinaryhumanbeings a
chancefor a dignified life withaccessto
bettereducationand healthcare.
All politicalpartiesacrossthe world,
includingthe Leftones,ensurethat
fundsflow to the party—andin the pro-
cessto influentialindividuals—fromthe
wealthywho wouldbe rewardedsuitably
overtlyor covertly.It is wellknownthat
the poorand the middleclassesmake
negligible monetary contributions to
politicalparties.
The poorand the middleclassesknow
the consequencesof dissent,not onlyin
the ThirdWorldcountriesbut in the U.S.
too, especiallywhenthe dissentersare in
penury.CanSanderscomeout witha
statementfor restrictionson property
and inheritancerightsor for a ban on
patents? The poor and the middle
classescan be madeto understandnot
by politicalparties,whichcompetefor
power,but by a movementfor the elimin-
ationof capitalismas we knowit today.
CHIDANANDA B.
BENGALURU
IT was catharticto readAkeelBilgrami
say that it is not populismbut liberalism
thathasfailedto gaugea worldthat
mightbe nearingits end, whilethe end of
capitalismis not in sight.Catharticbe-
causein the brazenbluffof our times
(aptlydelineatedby HarshManderin “A
Summaryof Fears& Possibilities”,The
Hindu,June13), it servesno purposeto
diagnosemeresurfaceswhileforgetting
the deep-rooted maladies in whose
spreadwe werecomplicit.Evenas he
wasspeakingof examplesfromacross
the globe,Bilgrami'sconcernsreson-
ate in the Indiaof the hereand now.As
Gyorgy Lukacs famously said: “We
need,in theseour sulliedtimes,the
geniusof a MichaelAngeloto comeup
withan ordinarytable,roundwhichwe
couldsit and converse.”
H. PATTABHIRAMASOMAYAJI
MANGALURU,KARNATAKA
Election 2019
KUDOSto Frontlinefor consistentlyand
boldlyexposingthe hollowand venom-
ous campaignof the BJPthat catapul-
ted it backto power(CoverStory,June
7). The Editor’sNotebroughtout the
deliberateobfuscationsbeingspreadby
NarendraModiaboutsocialrealities
suchas caste,povertyand secularism.
Modihas eventriedto discardsecular-
ism as a sham.
Giventhe kindof generaldiscontent-
mentthat prevaileduntilthe Pulwama
and Balakotevents,thereis no way one
can explainthe enormousswingin fa-
vourof the BJPand its allies.Modi’s
presidential-stylecampaignwith mam-
mothpublicityand a weakand disor-
ganisedoppositionhelped,but it was
the shrewdprojectionof the Pulwama
attackandthe Balakotachievements
thatseemedto havehad a significant
impact on thecollective psyche of
voters.Onecanrecallthe wayModi
usedthetragicGodhraandpost-Godhra
riotsin 2002for electoralgainsin Gu-
jarat.
Havingsensedthe generaldissatis-
factionthat was brewingagainstthe un-
inspiringeconomicperformanceof his
government,Modihad no hesitationin
launchinga kindof overt“politicalsur-
gicalstrike”glorifyingPulwamaand
Balakot.His victorycan be attributedto
communal consolidation and
demagoguery.
H.S. SHYLENDRA
ANAND,GUJARATTHE BJP’soverambitiousprojectto bring
Jammuand Kashmirunderits spellis
goingto be a dreamturnedsour(“Opera-
tionKashmir”,June21). By failing,or
ratherrefusing,to learnlessonsfrom
the groundrealities,the BJP is playinga
dangerousgamewithdevastatingcon-
sequencesfor the wholecountry.Home
MinisterAmitShah’swordsthat thereis
no questionof enteringinto a dialogue
with“separatists”soundlike a war cry.
AYYASSERIRAVEENDRANATH
ARANMULA,KERALA
The Congress
THEre-electionofSoniaGandhiaschair-
personof the CongressParliamentary
Partyunderlinesthe fact thatthe party
adamantlyrefusesto learnlessonsfrom
the past(“Timeto introspect”,June21).
The blowdealtto the Congressin the
generalelectioncan be attributedto its
totaldisconnectfromthe needs/aspira-
tionsof the commonman.The party’s
over-relianceon dynasticpolitics,which
has failedtimeand againand led to syco-
phancyand nepotism,has relegatedit to
the fringesof the politicalspectrum.
TheCongressneedstolookbeyondthe
charismaof the Nehru-Gandhifamily,
strengthenits grassrootsand bringin
freshbloodand reinventitselfthrougha
left-of-centreprogrammethat can help
it reconnectwiththe masses.
B. SURESH KUMAR
COIMBATORE,TAMILNADU
Akeel Bilgrami
THE interviewwithAkeelBilgrami(June
21),thoughlengthy,wasenlightening.
Sandersand Corbynwill be losersfor a
verylongtimeto comeunlessthe poor
and the middleclassesunderstandthat
restrictionson propertyand inheritance
ANNOUNCEMENT
Letters,whetherby surfacemailor e-mail,
mustcarrythe full postaladdressand the full
name,or the namewithinitials.CORRECTION
The CB-CIDsubmitted its reporton its invest-
igationof E. Elavarasan’sdeathto the Madras
HighCourton February21, 2017,and not 2013
as was statedin the article“A closedchapter?”
(June21).