Vijay Sanghvi has put the state of the Congress Party in sharp focus (The DayAfter, February 1, 2003). He has rightly pointed out the disadvantages that the party suffers from and the fact that the coterie around Sonia Gandhi is actually leading her astray for their own petty interests. She should take a leaf from the BJP and inject some new blood into the party who will be able to face the forthcoming Assembly polls in several States with dynamism and vigour. It is a pity that Sonia Gandhi has to depend on ‘old fogeys’ who have outlived their utility and evolve strategy and give suggestions that are completely out of sync with the modern political milieu.

Onkar Nath
Delhi

The action of the Delhi Police in arresting a journalist like Iftikhar Gilani (The DayAfter, February 1, 2003) and accusing him of charges that have now been proved to be ‘cooked up’ forcing the court to release him unconditionally have shown up the games politicians play to get even with their rivals. The police never even bothered to first get the opinion of Army Headquarters on the "secrecy" of the documents found in his home before putting him behind bars.

Mohit Singh
Chandigarh

Your magazine has done remarkable service to society by focusing on the negative effects of colas on children (The DayAfter, February 1, 2003). Just sheer publicity and extensive media coverage is forcing millions of children to acquire the habit of drinking colas which has a harmful effect on their health. Even medical men abroad are worried about the deleterious effects of cola drinks but MNCs with vast resources at their command are frustrating their efforts to create a healthy society. The Government of India should wake up to the danger posed by cola drinks and if, nothing else, should at least ban their advertisements as has been done in the case of liquor, cigarettes and pan masala.

Rameshwari Devi
New Delhi

Despite his age and illness, former Prime Minister V. P. Singh has not lost the sharpness of his mind and the ability to correctly assess the prevailing political situation. By describing the Hindu card played by the BJP as an attempt of "trying to convert Hindus to Hinduism" he has hit the nail on the head and shown up the BJP as a party that lacks real issues of governance and therefore rakes up the religious sentiments of the people to garner votes. Narendra Modi did the same thing in Gujarat. He did not ask for votes for his governance (there was hardly any) but in the name of religion thus setting a bad precedent that will become a headache not only for us but for our future generations. I sincerely hope the BJP leaders will see the abyss of destruction that they are pushing the country into by harping on religion in a secular country. Even the Muslim countries in the Middle East are not so rabid religionists.

Maheshwar Prasad
New Delhi

Allopathy has become a medical system of the rich and the poor can hardly afford to go to a doctor these days. Greed seems to be the driving power of Allopathy today.. The story on the Krishna Gopal Ayurveda Bhawan Trust of Kaleda in Rajasthan (The DayAfter, February 1, 2003) is a good example of how the people there are silently working for the good of mankind through their Ayurvedic medicines and treatment and not making such a noise about it in terms of publicity. That is the true spirit of healing and they should be commended for it.