'The hyperbole about Advani and Vajpayee has
become nauseating'
How Readers reacted to Vir Sanghvi's recent columns
Date sent: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 09:44:17 PST
From: "prem natarajan" <prem_natarajan@hotmail.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
Vir Sanghvi's latest column projects confusion. His writing is pointless. Advani and Vajpayee may have their differences. They have never said so but the media has always been screaming about it. Assuming they do, it is still quite ridiculous to imagine that Advani would depose Vajpayee and become PM. Even more ridiculous is Sanghvi's "I don't think so but
many leading politicians think so" line of reasoning.
And if incumbent bureaucrats have a way of working faster when a Congress government is in power, well then it is time to get new bureaucrats! Bureaucrats are servants of the people and of the government, not their keepers. Any acceptance of bureaucratic intransigence as a fait accompli has no validity in constitutional theory or common sense.
Prem Natarajan
Date sent: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 09:24:34 -0700
From: Sameer Kuppahalli <skuppaha@sedona.ch.intel.com>
Subject: Question of survival
Such an immature conjecture does not go well in a respected publication as Rediff. Vir Sanghvi has crossed the limits of absurdity in insinuating that Advani will unseat Vajpayee. He tries to copy Mr T V R Shenoy, by seemingly having some inside information, but he is a poor second to Mr Shenoy. This entire hyperbole about Advani and Vajpayee has not only become
stale, it has also become nauseating. Like I said in my last response,
Vir Sanghvi is one in the crowd of zillions of self-proclaimed intellectuals, who have nothing better to do than character assassination. An easy route, right Mr Sanghvi?
Sameer Kuppahalli
Date sent: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 15:45:00 -0500
From: Raghu Rao <raov@sybase.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
I am a regular Rediff reader since its inception. Lately I have
been noticing that there are some articles and news items which don't have any significance. There is no truth in them. I have never seen them happening as written by editors. The same news doesn't appear in any of the other major leading national newspapers either. Today's Vir Sanghvi article is one such item. I used to read his articles in magazines while I was in India and was pretty much impressed
then. These days I think his only aim is to write articles against the BJP. Is
he being offered Rajya Sabha ticket from some other party?
I think
Rediff is losing its popularity/image by publishing his articles. I
would like to tell you that 90% of the NRIs, at least in the US, are BJP followers/sympathisers. They will appreciate articles against the BJP only if they are facts and were carried in some other newspapers also. They will never appreciate articles from one person whose only personal motive is bashing the BJP. This is my humble opinion. BTW I am not a follower of any present-day politics in India.
Date sent: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 03:18:51 +0100
From: "Maliwal, Gopi" <Gopi.Maliwal@Dresdner-Bank.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
Sanghvi writes well. But, for quite some time, by harping on the alleged differences between Vajpayee and Advani (while, at the same time, saying that he did not believe in those rumours), I do not know what game he has been trying to play. The role that comes to my mind is that of Narad Muni. And we all know the results of such game. The one sure loser will be our country -- not the politicians, the babudom, business people or journalists but the hapless people of India.
Gopi Maliwal
Date sent: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 14:46:19 -0600
From: Priyanka Namrata <gumaste@bellatlantic.net>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
Pardon me, but I just can't control myself. Mr Sanghvi's column is a piece of unadulterated nonsense. It is the senseless ramblings of a disoriented personality overcome with hate and bigotry. To critically analyse the performance of the BJP is one thing but to indulge in baseless ranting without rhyme or reason is something else.
He agrees that India needs a nuclear deterrent but opposes the BJP for conducting the nuclear tests. He blames the BJP for Pokhran II but is quick to point out that it was the culmination of several years of effort, and others should be credited for it. You seem to like the message but not the messenger. Mr Sanghvi make up your mind, you can't have it both ways.
Let me ask him one thing: Of what use is closet technology if you
do not have the courage to demonstrate it. Only the BJP has indicated that determination. The Congress time and again bowed to international
pressure and sacrificed our national interest.
Mr Sanghvi, you will castigate the BJP even if they do everything right. Your
sole mission appears to be to denigrate the BJP at any cost. It is a
tragedy that we have people like you in our country.
Vivek Gumaste
Date sent: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 21:53:41 -0500
From: Tarun Seam <tseam@doubled.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's Bang and Whimper
Perhaps in no nuclear nation -- the perpetually paranoid Pakistan included -- does any sane
citizen associate paramount issues of national defence, such as nuclear weapons and missile development, with such partisan rancour and political cynicism as displayed by Mr Sanghvi
and other anti-BJP political desperadoes in India. These political hacks are so blinded by their dispositions against the BJP, that, in a joyful glee at the current political predicament of the party, they even seem to ignore the paramount long-term scientific and national security implications that India's ongoing nuclear developments entail for the country's
future.
So what if, following Pokhran II, a few wayward jingoists within the BJP got a bit carried away with aggressive statements? We all know that India is not a renegade country about to actually launch a nuclear war. Come on, now! Is that a reason for hijacking the whole debate for making political points? Has Mr Sanghvi not heard any boasting or observed
any official bullying by the high and mighty nuclear P-5 and their citizens?
Let us dig ourselves out of this partisan political rut that Sanghvi represents and, instead, debate the merits or demerits of India's nuclear weapons development in the context
of scientific capability, costs, and the paramount long-term national security interests.
Date sent: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 15:55:37 -0500
From: jain1 <jain1@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
I do not understand what criteria you use to include articles. From this column it appears that anybody's personal opinion, howsoever absurd and bereft of sense it may be, is enough to have a right of presence in your publication. This article is pure nonsense and you know it. I sincerely request you to screen your column-writers better unless you want to
become known for publishing gibberish.
Sanjay Jain
New York
Date sent: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 22:01:37 -0800
From: Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan ɜram@ziplink.net>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi's column
There are millions of people in India who still do not know what a bomb is, let alone a nuclear bomb. We are living in an information age. But people having access to the Internet can be sufficiently classified as belonging to the middle-class or higher groupings. Such segments of our society have access to food, health and shelter. But that's not what India is about. What about the remaining segment which is about 70% of India's population? Such people don't feel elated about Pokhran II. Their hand-to-mouth existence would
hardly allow them such a luxury.
Ramsundar Lakshminarayanan
Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 11:21:37 +0000
From: Bharat <kapoor@engr.ucf.edu>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi
I don't know how I should start. Never been an English major, and am sure I will never get a chance to represent people like me on something like Rediff -- I guess one should be a Vir Sanghvi to be on Rediff.
I want to pose some questions to Vir Sanghvi and company. Can you guys ever think constructively, or are you like the Hippies of 60s, known for anti-establishment thoughts? I am not accusing these writers of being biased or politically motivated. If possible let Rediff have a debate.
What do you want from the BJP government?
*The govt can't survive without support. Everyone knows that, and they are trying to still run the government when every political party is trying to pull them down. What do you want them to do, quit or agree to all arrogant demands of their partners?
*Vir: " The temple is on hold (unless the VHP first wants to find a mosque in that region which it can claim was once a temple)
-- Aren't you the guys who opposed the temple, so what do you want now?
Vir:: " Advani looks preoccupied but says nothing on nuclear issues."
-- What should he do, he is the home minister, should he go around
dropping nuclear bombs everywhere?
*Vir: "... and when Khurana opens his mouth to launch a nuclear missile, the
target is not Islamabad but Sahib Singh Verma."
-- What do you want Khurana to do, bomb Pakistan, so that they can bomb us
back? If he and Sahib have problems, how is the country affected?
*Vir: " More significantly, we also know that Pokhran II is not a BJP achievement. India had nuclear capability way back in 1974 and recent developments in weapons technology have taken place under the Congress and Janata Dal governments. The Bomb -- if we can call it
that -- is a national achievement, not a party political victory. And we see
no reason to give Vajpayee the sole credit of the hard work of so many
of his predecessors. Consequently, even those who supported the tests -- in
my opinion, the majority of Indians -- did not automatically turn into
BJP voters. "
-- Agreed. So why the hell is the Congress trying to bully the BJP on this issue, why didn't previous PMs take this decision. Had they taken it we would have been in a rather good position and would have been concentrating on our economy.
Vajpayee and all his senior ministers complemented the scientists and engineers for their work, they never said the BJP developed the bomb, or did you acquire some special information which the readers don't have?
Vir, you are talking about the BJP's claims of not buckling to the USA and now
they are talking with each other -- what do u want, should they start behaving like Saddam? Do you want the talks to be stopped, if not what
do you want?
Jyoti Basu points out, India made a mistake while standing
against China. China is a friendly country -- agreed, but only to the Communists. Does Basu want Bengal to be part of China? Is it not true that China attacked India, when were they our friends?
Are there any responsible people around who go through materials being posted on the media? Or is that it that anyone who wants to write can write anything without being questioned?
Why can't the media portray the brighter sides of things? Let people be proud of what they have rather than what they don't. Then, encourage them to achieve what they desire.
Bharat
Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 10:34:28 +0100
From: Rupak Rathore <rupak@lucent.com>
Subject: Small bang, big whimper
You are certainly anti-BJP and ruled by your (political) emotions against the BJP and VHP. You need to attend some serious classes on world history to clarify your mind, if possible.
Presenting only a particular aspect from history is worse than not presenting anything. It is said the Taj Mahal is actually a Shiv temple called 'Tej-o-Mahalaya'. The department of archaeology is unable to bring this fact to open. There are lots of similar facts that are hidden only in rare books. So go ahead and reveal those facts, and not these silly things. We should be mature enough to accept the history as it is, shouldn't we? Think about it!
Date sent: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 11:55:18 -0600
From: RAJIV SHOREY <seema.shorey@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi and Rubbish
When you write a column under journalistic garb please maintain a semblance of objectivity. All that your piece amounts to is rubbish.
Rajiv
Date sent: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 16:17:24 PST
From: "P K" <pbhind@hotmail.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi
I am very disgusted by people like you, who have no real agenda but criticise. People like you including Dilip D'Souza, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Kuldip Nayar twist truth in a most offensive and most inaccurate way. You really don't have any knowledge and only know to bash those who have the guts to stand up. Please do something constructive!
Jai Hind
Date sent: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 15:07:08 EST
From: THE7MEEK@aol.com
Subject: Vir Singhvi
You guys have such an inferiority complex. Only people like Sanghvi thought that nuclear weapons would change everything overnight. Nuclear weapons are
meant just for thwarting any future blackmail. Nuclear tests were done to beat
the CTBT clock. If India does not sign the CTBT by September5 1999, she would be sanctioned anyway, and probably would have been the only such country.
India's testing also had a positive result: Pakistan's nuclear programme has come under international scrutiny for the first time. The writer accepts ignorance
only once in his article but I feel his whole piece is a testimony of how
ignorant our "intellectuals" are. Military power is an important currency of international politics and will remain so whatever anybody says.
Date sent: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 12:35:41 PST
From: "Deepak Gothe" <dgothe@hotmail.com>
Subject: Vir Sanghvi -- Clever, Crude, Communal
A very good article from Vir Sanghvi.
The BJP is not able to tame its belligerent parivar members. Vajpayee
doesn't have the hold over the organisation as Advani has. As he (you know who) has rightly said (misquoted) Vajpayee is the mukhota. Though I don't believe in Congress-style-secularism, neither do I believe in BJP-style-secularism. And the 'most' secular of all, the CPI-M is planning for a tie-up with the IUML (remnants of Jinnah's party). In fact no
party in India is secular, every party is communal.
Deepak
Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 18:08:50 -0800
From: Ankur Agarwal <ankur@healtheon.com>
Subject: Mr Sanghvi needs to read the newspaper more often!
Actually the Indian tests were perhaps the best thing in the last 20 years!
Even the Pakistani papers say that India emerged much stronger after the tests.
Here's the logic:
The Indian stock market fell and then recovered, Pakistan's market just
fell. India emerged as the strongest power (militarily, economically) in South Asia and Middle East.
France, Russia and Britain opposed the US-led sanctions.
The Indian economy is growing despite a crash in most other economies.
India has proved that Pakistan is just too small and insignificant to
be at par with us.
With Pokhran II India established itself as the 6th nuclear power and pushed Pakistan into an inescapable trap of poverty, default and economic
failure for a couple of decades at least.
Ankur
Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 15:54:24 -0500 (EST)
From: Shailendra Chalasani <schal2@sac.uky.edu>
Subject: Small Bang Big Whimper
I just want to remind Vir Sanghvi that this is the first time that the BJP government has come to power and well, they might not be as efficient as the Congress or any of the other parties. Give the BJP some air to breathe. What I perceive is that the BJP is doing better than the others.
Shailendra
Date sent: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 23:38:15 -0500 (EST)
From: Vijay Jain <v_jain@ece.concordia.ca>
Subject: Small bang, big whimper
I think you are so much against the BJP that you can't even understand facts. And that's not
good for a writer of your calibre. A good writer is never biased.
Vijay,
Montreal, Canada
Vir Sanghvi
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