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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'If the Indian public can live with Laloo and Rabdi, they can live with Sonia too'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:09:09 -0500 The article written by Kanchan Gupta was very interesting. It provided me facts that I had never known before being a natural Indian. The current political crisis in India is such that we have to look out for a foreigner lusting for money and power to lead us. People will soon realise that it was a folly to have dumped Atalji. Manoj
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 09:05:34 -0700 (PDT)
Kanchan Gupta is correct on most points but he
definitely errs on the issue of comparing us with the USA.
There is no need to have second rate and third rate
citizens just because country X or country Y has it.
Agreed that Sonia's credentials are suspect and she
doesn't deserve to be PM but the real point is that
she doesn't even deserve to be a citizen of India.
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 12:00:49 CDT
Well said Kanchan, some people are saying that Indians should accept
Sonia as PM because she has taken Indian citizenship, but the fact
remains that she is an NRI. Many of us NRIs care and love our motherland whole heartedly even
after taking citizenships of some other countries. In any topic in
world politics, most of us NRIs think what is best for India first.
Ritam Goel
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 10:53:55 PDT
Excellent article. Gives an insight on who is eligible
to lead our country and who is not. It's a disgrace and a
matter of shame that we are kneeling down to a foreigner
and pleading with her to lead our country, as if 300 years
of British misrule was not enough to bring our once a
great country to the present state.
The entire blame of this whole episode rests on our own great
Indian patriot 'Jayalalitha.'
Bhagvan
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:36:33 -0500
The article is pretty interesting. There are some points to which I do
not agree and ones to which I agree completely.
I agree that not being a natural citizen and not having any experience
in politics and Indian economics is reason enough for her not be the
prime minister.
The part that how much does she know about India is invalid. Where was
your article when uneducated and people with suspect backgrounds were made chief minister of
some states of India?. How much do they know about India? Are they
loyal to the country?
Also, what Sonia did 10 years back cannot be really held against her
because we have to realise that she was indeed from a different country
and India to her was a foreign land. At least, she left Italy and came to
India, have you heard about brain drain? And what about the fact that
she lived in India after her husband was killed? She could have chosen
to go back to Italy.
On the whole I agree that she should not be elected the prime minister.
Zeenat
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 01:18:26 -0700
I firmly believe that the positions of the President and of the prime
minister of India should be held by Indians born in India only. We
cannot sacrifice national security by having foreign nationals even if
they have become Indian citizens to hold these two important positions.
If war breaks out between India and Italy which is very remote and
unthinkable, where do you think Sonia Gandhi's allegiance will be!
Please answer.
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 09:38:34 EDT
It's very enlightening! Kudos to you for publishing it! As an Indian
living in the US, I think it's very important that the press play the right
role in the future of the country and not bow to the whims and fancies of
power-hungry politicians. I personally think that a person of foreign origin
should not become a premier just because of her marriage to a former Indian
premier.
The (supposedly patriotic) Communists and the likes of the
opportunistic Yadavs (both Mulayam and Laloo) are taking the Indian common
man for a ride. These guys should be stopped at any cost from perpetuating
the ruin. I think the press has a very big role in enlightening the Indian
President about what his responsibilities are and what he should be doing in
the best interests of the nation.
Maybe the press guys should form a group
and meet the President and make him aware of the common man's feelings. I
think it's a collective responsibility which we should not shy away from!
Let's get out of the submissive mentality (to foreigners)!
Jay
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 06:21:46 -0700
Kanchan, hats off to you for a well researched article. With Sonia bound to
be the PM, we can have Quattrocchi as the President. The only thing people can do
is to force a election and not elect one Congress party worker in the whole
of India, once we show such disdain we will get some sort of men with
pride. Sonia's entry into politics will "whiten" the ill gotten wealth
from Bofors, then we have the "Fat lady from the South" who will also be off
the hook, Laloo and Mulayam will have a field day, and do not forget the
guy with drooping lower lips "The Lion Body Rao," his memoirs does not
mention the about the urea scam. A person who
initially broke the story of Sitaram Kesri's overseas bank accounts will
not testify anymore as he was killed mysteriously in Toronto... Doesn't
the Congress stink in high heaven??
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 08:00:31 -0500
Although there are a some good points that Kanchan Gupta makes in this article,
the rest of the article is just plain intolerance and utter mountain out of a mole hill. Yes! It is true that
Sonia Gandhi was born in Italy and that she maintained it till 1984. But that does not say
anything. Even Indians abroad maintain their citizenships and stay decades on "permanent residence
status," that does not mean they are not loyal to the country they are residing in. Before
criticising a professor of the status of Ashutosh Varshney's from a reputed
school as Columbia, the author needs to do some good home work.
If you are talking about Sonia Gandhi going to Italy during India-Pakistan War, by self-admission you
say even Rajiv Gandhi went with her. Wasn't it his duty to stay back in India and do whatever he
could for his motherland? But this was never an issue when he was the prime minister. Then why is it suddenly an issue now? I personally think this article went a bit too far.
Advait Kulkarni
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 16:10:25 +0530
I totally agree with Kanchan Gupta. I, and everyone around me, strongly believe that Sonia Gandhi has no right to rule India. It would be the most unfortunate
day for all Indians if Sonia Gandhi ever becomes the prime minister. It will sound so ridiculous that a country with a population of 98 crores doesn't have a single able person for the post of the
prime minister and has to be lead by a foreigner. Even a little kid of India can understand this little fact, it's amazing how all the great Congress leaders are dying to make Sonia Gandhi the prime
minister. They all seem to have no self respect and patriotic feelings.
I recently went on a trip to North India, and I didn't meet a single person who was happy with the fact that Sonia Gandhi is in the race for the post of the prime minister. Everyone felt that it
was the worst time for the BJP government to fall, especially when everything seemed to go all right. I completely agree with the views of the writer and hope that the whole of India does too.
Ankur Khemka
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 00:52:35 -0500
It does not matter what we think. I think if the Indian public can live with Laloo and Rabdi, they can live with Sonia
too. Our public and politicians have no sense of national pride. I don't know why we cannot have a good leader in
a country of 900 million people.
Ketan Inamdar
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 23:26:47 -0600
You have spelt out the realities and facts. It is pathetic to realise that our country has to be lead by a foreigner,
forced to a situation by few politicians who lack integrity and courage. So-called leaders Surjeet and Basu should be ready to answer to the next generation and their own comrades. After practising and preaching utterly impractical Communist philosophy, now at the verge of its demise they are trying to prop up a foreigner to occupy this coveted position which was adorned by great men like Shri M Desai.
This shows how blindfolded our netas are and it's our mistake that we keep them still in the limelight.
Let us hope the public will teach them a lesson in the ensuing elections.
Kesava Guptha
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 10:35:10 -0500 (GMT)
It is most shameful on the Indians' part to allow a foreigner to rule
India. On one hand we oppose China and USA and on the other hand, the same illiterate Indians support an Italian foreigner who for her hunger of power suddenly has sprung in the political scenario. If Indians favour Italy more, then why not strip down to their skin and practice everything that happens in Italy.
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 19:48:44 PDT
The article was really good in the sense that it highlights a lot
of things about really being an Indian and acting to be an Indian. It
really takes everything in you, everything of what you have got
sometimes to prove that you are patriotic and loyal to your nation
and there is not even a single evidence of any sacrifices done by
Sonia towards the country or to its people whom she now wants to rule.
It is a pity that today our nation is going through such a crisis
under the influence of a foreign lady (I use the term foreign lady
because of her dual citizenship status under the law of Italy and
that she hasn't cancelled her Italian citizenship in writing) and
also pity that some of our own brothers, our countrymen are
supporting this.
In reality, most of us aren't really clear about the true meaning
of Indianness, Hindutva, Hindu nationalism or Indian nationalism and
they don't care to know about it. They need to look back into
history, read our history books and try to understand our country's
values. This includes everybody including politicians. This
is the reason why today we are seeing that Congressmen are
supporting a foreign lady to rule them.
It is true that Hindutva also stands for tolerance to other
religions and this is the reason why we see masjids and churches next
to temples in India. But if you got to Arabia and tell
them that you want to build a temple next to their mosque,
you can very well imagine their reaction/actions.
Vinay
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