Welcome summer, with deepening water crisis

How good are grandpas?

YOUR editorial "feeling factors" made me feel that politicians in the country never mind their flag. Colour and complexion are, in fact, making us feel foolish. They make promise which they never keep. They declare manifestoes which keep on changing from poll to poll. The cross-darty traffic of the ambitious and the wise among them acquired the status of massive political smuggling. How timely is your call for organising a nationwide voter-power tide. They made us feel foolish for a long time. It is time we make them feel foolish. Let us tell these habitual offenders against truth and reality that the feel angry factor is getting stronger among the Indian electorate and they better watch out for the results of—Lok Sabha this year. I am sure many at the end of the day would also get a taste of the feel foolish factor.

Ramanandan Hegde
Bangalore

YOU have rightly warned us, the readers of The DayAfter and the voters of India that it is poll time and the beggars of politics will come to you with "vote for me, vote for me" and parties will have a flood of manifestoes and the professional print and electronic media propaganda hours will be unleashed at you…Hit them back with vote power. Let us hit such confide tricksters and poll our vote power to what I consider ‘political beggary’ in India.

Sarita Mahapatra
Cuttack

YOUR editorial ’Feeling factors’ used very strong words against the politicians. You called them "dirty minded" and "deceivers". Please tell me whether this "dirty mindedness" and "deceiving" trait is confined to politicians alone? What about the babus, bureaucrats? And are the media barons and baronesses clean-minded? Read the newspapers and you see their mind spread over the nude photographs of questionable taste spread over page after page". Why do you make execution of the dirty words and visions being hawked by your colleagues?

Karan Singh Tanwar
Jaipur

I was amazed to read your story with the title "Let the youth take over" which reminded us that as far back as 1998 your journal had boldly advocated that doddering old men and women, who had overstayed their utility in Indian politics, should be retired from politics and allow the youth to take over. The politicians are old, the bureaucrats are old and of course the leaders of various religions are also old, The young are mainly ignored and a majority of them are allowed jobs. Their due share in politics and governance, where more than 50 crore are below the age of 25 is meagre. But how can they take over? Will the old foggies have a change of heart or should young revolt? What do you suggest?

Mohan Despande
Mumbai

WHAT you said in 1988 is coming true in 2004. The youth are taking over the old whether those in control of politics, government and economy wish it or not. In the state assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, it was not the victory of BJP or Congress but it was the victory of the youth. Hope the coming Lok Sabha poll also gives old guard a taste of India’s youth power and make your call " Let the youth
take over" a reality.

Murari Mohan Sinha
Patna

YOUR cover story of March 1-15 issue entitled " Fight for real Gandhi legacy" made me really wonder who is fighting for what? Whether it is Sonia Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi? Do they become more Gandhi than the others when they leave Congress? Would Mahatma Gandhi have been a greater Mahatma and greater Gandhi if he had joined the party led by Narendra Modi? And does one get absolved of the dynastic sin if one joins the "Bharatiya" Janata Party in place of "Indian" National Congress. Some swear by "Bharatiya" and some by "Indian". But will someone tell me what is the difference in the meaning of both the words?

Mehak
New Delhi

YOU have underlined several poll issues in your magazine regularly and often presented the conflicting political views of various highly self-opinionated politicians on non-issues like one leader’s foreign origin which entitled her to get into Indian Parliament but no further. My question is why do not these great gentlemen and great ladies, belonging to different political parties and all of them aspiring for the crown of Indian Prime Minsitership, have the courage and honesty to their voices against people of criminal origin? Some of them suspected to have already made it to ministership under the flags of not one but almost all the political parties and aspire to be chief ministers and eventually even prime minister. Will not the criminal origin of the politician be an issue during the poll?

Hansa Wadekar
Pune

MEDIA has focussed entry of Rahul Gandhi in politics in a big way. Even Rajiv Gandhi was never interested in politics. It was tragic accidental death of Sanjay Gandhi who would have been political heir of Nehru-Gandhi dynastic politics. Likewise Rahul’s entry in politics is solely because of non-acceptance of Sonia Gandhi as ruler because of her foreign origin. However, if this family would have been united with both Maneka and Sonia on same side, things would have been entirely different in interest of Congress. But it is unfair to criticise Rahul-Priyanka as stars of dynastic politics especially when many in opposite camps are running politics as their family shops. For such selfish politicians, rule should be to prevent those with age above 60 years from contesting direct elections, leaving Rajya Sabha for selected experienced leaders if needed in politics for national interest!

Subhash Chandra Agrawal
New Delhi