Comic relief

Sir — The chief minister of Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan, recently described Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, as an “Amul baby” (“‘Amul baby’ gets vintage VS’s goat”, April 11 ). The comment must be viewed as gentle leg-pulling rather than as a diatribe. It also provided welcome comic relief at a very tense time for the whole country. Just a day ago, Anna Hazare had ended his fast against corruption at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

It is no surprise that Amul has used the Kerala chief minister’s comment to advertise its products. The cooperative has often tapped into events of topical interest to promote its brand. Some might remember the advertisement for Amul butter in the wake of Argentina’s world cup win in 1986. Argentina’s star footballer, Diego Maradona, had played a major role in the victory. The tag line for the Amul advertisement ran: “Marad’ ona toh aisa hona/ Butter hona toh Amul hona.”

Yours faithfully,
Arindam Ghosh, Nagpur

Sir — Recently, Rahul Gandhi ridiculed V.S. Achuthanandan for his advanced years. Presumably, age hinders one from fulfilling the responsibilities of a chief minister. The logic behind the comment rings hollow. If Achuthanandan is unfit to govern Kerala, how is Manmohan Singh, who is in his late seventies, fit to fill the post of prime minister?

Yours faithfully,
N.S. Rajan, Bangalore

Muffled voices

Sir — Not long ago, Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese dissident who won the Nobel Peace Prize, was unable to make it to the awards ceremony in Stockholm as he was locked away in a Chinese prison. Liu Xianbin, a social activist who was charged with inciting sedition, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Chinese court. Now, it is the dissident artist, Ai Weiwei, who has been arrested in China for alleged ‘economic offences’ (“Censored Dylan ‘shocks’ activists”, April 9).

Such repression is reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s persecution of dissidents, notably, Boris Pasternak and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. In spite of its ruthless elimination of dissent, the Soviet Union could not survive. If history is anything to go by, the Chinese government’s days are numbered.

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Calcutta

Sir — The arrest of Ai Weiwei for ‘economic offences’ indicates that the Chinese government, like most communist regimes, will not tolerate criticism of the ruling party. If the government is indeed without fault, then why should it be scared of criticism? Capitalist countries must have many more flaws. But most of these countries have governments that tolerate dissent. If such governments can survive, why can’t the infallible communist government of China? It is a puzzling question indeed.

Yours faithfully,
Taroon Deb, Calcutta

Meant well

Sir — The editorial, “Meaningless” (April 17), concludes by saying that Anna Hazare “and those who sail with him are undermining democracy in India”. I disagree with this comment for a number of reasons.

Hazare and his followers are mostly ordinary people. They have no partisan interests in the movement against corruption. National interest alone motivates the demand for an objective whistle-blower.

Moreover, democracy cannot be limited to the parliamentary system. Over the years, several popular movements have made their impact on legislation. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties, formed by Jayaprakash Narayan in 1976, was instrumental in mobilizing popular dissent against the Emergency. In 1993, a public outcry against human rights violations prompted the government to pass the Protection of Human Rights Act. Hazare’s demands are the latest in a long line of popular claims that have been accepted by the government. Such movements do not undermine democracy but reform rotting systems.

Corruption is a problem that pervades the country’s systems. This has even been acknowledged by the Supreme Court, one of the pillars of democracy. The court recently rejected the government’s choice of the chief vigilance commissioner on the grounds that he did not have a clean record.

India fares dismally on the global transparency index and massive scams have caused immeasurable losses to the national exchequer. If the Union government does not crack down on corruption soon enough, Hazare’s movement will only gain momentum in the future.

Yours faithfully,
R. Subhranshu, Chandernagore

Sir — The excellent editorial, “Meaningless”, was right to point out that merely appointing a Lok Pal to act as an ombudsman will not be enough to reduce corruption in the country. The Lokayuktas established in the states have not been able to make a significant difference so far.

Nevertheless, Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption is praiseworthy. Hazare’s fast at the Jantar Mantar has triggered off a nationwide movement against corruption. The Indian middle class has responded to his call and risen to the occasion.

This movement must be cautiously guided. It must not be allowed to jeopardize India’s democratic polity. This will ultimately benefit authoritarian forces that are always waiting in the wings, looking for a chance to take over.

Yours faithfully,
Gourang Charan Parida, Puri