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Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 17:01:33 +0000 Subject: Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Abdul Kalam
Yes sir, Jaffer Sahib, the choice of Abdul Kalam is to be condemned by all 'pious' Muslims. After all, this Abdul Kalam never endorsed publicly the mental and emotional subjugation of Muslims by the ulema with their medieval personal laws. Who is this Abdul Kaffir to call himself a Muslim, when he does not blame the Hindu victims of the Godhra violence for their being burnt alive?
No, sir, Abdul Kalam should have refused the offer from the NDA and instead joined either the Congress (Italian) or some of the casteist 'secular' parties in the cow belt, instigated communal riots, got a few thousand Muslims and Hindus killed, and then gone to Saudi Arabia, collected funds in the name of the dead Muslims and deposited the money in some Swiss bank. After that he would have been considered worthy of being a true, 'pious Muslim' candidate worthy of being nominated by the Islamist/secular parties and the Calcutta branch of the Chinese Communist Party. Praveen Shanker Pillai
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 14:18:30 -0400 Subject: Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Abdul Kalam
If a peon in the Congress office (any Tom, Dick or Harry for that matter) can become a minister and manage it well too, a well-educated, enthusiastic person like Abdul Kalam can do it with much more ease and far less mistakes. Pramod
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 13:49:33 -0400 Subject: Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Abdul Kalam
I feel pity for the comments of Mr C K Jaffer Sharief. But one has to accept that he has shown what he is. Being an MP for eight terms does not make anyone a genius. Religious factors might have played a significant role in the selection of Kalam for the presidency, but that does not belittle his stature.
If Mr Sharief wishes to say that politics is reserved only for criminals and persons like Kalam should not step in that territory, we may agree with him. In India a person is not made a minister, governor or President because of one's specialization in that field. Do you feel that all the ministers (even recently decorated) have experience in the fields/ministries allotted to them?? So where is the need that Kalam should have been a scholar of law or the Constitution? Why do we have so many panels of advisers and constitutional experts? The ministries are run by the civil servants and not by the monkey ministers.
If someone is God-fearing and can instil a feeling of pride in the Indian masses, one is more than deserving.
Mr Sharief, if you have any conscience you must support Kalam, in whom all Indians see their future, even though the post of President is a titular one. We all need persons like Kalam. The best place for the likes of Mr Sharief is the Indian Ocean or Antarctica. Sam
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 11:26:11 -0400 Subject: Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Abdul Kalam
I fully agree with Mr Sharief when he says that Kalam was offered the president's post because he is a Muslim. The BJP did this to boost its image, which reached an abysmal low after the Gujarat riots. They just wanted to show that they are pro-Muslim. If the BJP thought that Kalam is the most suitable candidate, why did they not suggest his name first? For that matter even their suggesting Alexander's name had sinister motives. The BJP wanted to show that it is Christian-friendly, in fact minority-friendly.
Saying this does not mean one is belittling Kalam or his contributions. In a way Kalam has played into the hands of the BJP. Mr Sharief gives the impression that scientists may not make good presidents. But Mr Kalam has all the intellectual abilities and as President, one hopes he will realise the sinister motives of the BJP.
The NDA allies have not come out with flying colours in the process either. K N Rajan
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 09:35:50 -0700 Subject: Jaffer Sharief condemns choice of Abdul Kalam
Sharief's reaction is stupid, shortsighted and communal. If a tongawalla/car driver can become a Lok Sabha member, a scientist can definitely become President.
Sharief is jealous! We don't care what some idiot thinks about the choice of the presidential candidate, please refrain from publishing such stupid articles on your excellent Web site. Rama
Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 15:19:46 -0500 Subject: BJP wants to use Kalam as a puppet, says Sehgal
It is sad to see someone go all the way back to 1943 to defend a very different world. This lady is an anachronistic relic. Shame on the Communists and on Sehgal for mouthing communist propaganda. The Indian economy is in a much better shape today than it ever was under the socialist-communist policies of the Congress over a 50-year period. Though there is a lot to be done on the economic front, I shudder to think of an Indian economy that is hostage to communist dribble. S Peeta
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 12:13:23 -0500 Subject: BJP wants to use Kalam as a puppet, says Sehgal
Sehgal has absolutely no clue what she is talking about. Abdul Kalam is a true scientist and a great person on the whole, much beyond religion. What India needs is leaders and advisers like him. Only people like him can lead India to a bright future. Srikanth
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 14:56:19 -0400 Subject: BJP wants to use Kalam as a puppet, says Sehgal
I had a good impression about Ms Lakshmi Sehgal, but her derogatory remarks about Kalam are enough to expose her. The Communists never cared about India and I feel the candidate supported by them is behaving no differently. We may not wholly agree with the BJP line of thinking about India, but it is a hard fact that no other party in power, so far, has cared about India.
Does Ms Sehgal know what Hinduism is? Anyone living in Hindustan is a Hindu by definition. Hinduism is not a religion, it is a way of life, evolved over centuries and not dictated by any one person.
A soldier considers himself an Indian first and Hindu or Muslim later. Her remarks do not support the spirit of a fauji. I wish Ms Sehgal shows some decorum for the post she is contesting for. A true soldier never goes berserk! Healthy criticism is always welcome, whether it is Kalam or the BJP, but I feel sorry for Sehgal for stooping so low. I will be happy if she could find some time after the presidential election to read Wings of Fire (Kalam's autobiography).
I now doubt whether she was a true freedom fighter, though I may be wrong. If she loves this country, where was she till now? A charitable hospital is not a country. Did she ever fight against the rampant corruption that is eating the nation? I never heard her raise her voice against it. Did she ever invigorate the nation's youth like Kalam does? To now criticise Kalam as a puppet and say that only she can be a real President is a case of sour grapes. Samunder Singh
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 15:19:37 EDT Subject: BJP wants to use Kalam as a puppet, says Sehgal
Ms Sehgal, I don't know where you have been all these years. The politburo or the audience to whom you have been talking comprises the worst creatures of sick commie, socialist ideas. Nowadays the world thrives on entrepreneurship and individual drive. Look at the states ruled by commies: Kerala and Bengal, at the bottom of every economic indicator. What does that mean? Simple! Communism does not work. It is dead in Russia, it's running on the back of capitalism in China, so what are you telling us? Whom do you represent? Less than 1 per cent of the population, and you are telling us, the real Indians, that you are right and we are wrong?
Look at the IT industry. Due to sheer talent and hard work India has created a mark on the world IT field. With your ideas and rhetoric, we will be begging and become a Pakistani colony. Sunil
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 16:30:34 -0400 Subject: BJP wants to use Kalam as a puppet, says Sehgal
These comments just remind me of her first comment where she said making Kalam President would send a wrong signal to the world since he is involved with defence technologies. I think any freedom fighter who says "defence of the country" is not important at any point of time is either not a true freedom fighter or has lost his/her mind. The only reason these irrelevant comments get posted in the Indian media is because, even after the collapse of communism everywhere else in the world, Indian media and intellectuals still continue to have this sickening "communist" inclination. Aniruddha
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 13:34:00 EDT Subject: Advani rejects RSS call for trifurcation of J&K
Though dividing the state of Jammu & Kashmir appears to go against the unity of the people of that state, in my opinion it is an idea worth considering. By trifurcating the region into Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, it will be easier to administer and oversee the developmental activities for regions where there is little or no militancy. On the other hand, with respect to areas affected by militancy like Kashmir, it will be easier to tackle it and provide better administration if the size of the region is smaller. Murali Swaminathan
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 21:51:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Funds for Tehelka's sting operation came from West Asia: Govt
This is another fascist tactic of the BJP government to silence independent journalism. "Hands off!" I say to this fundamentalist government, and let the voices of the average people be heard. The BJP should concentrate on removing the all-pervasive corruption within the government, especially in the top branches of our armed forces. I have been following the story closely and I give Tehelka full credit for exposing this semi-fascist, poodle-of-the-Americans, corrupt BJP government. It is high time the Left parties get their act together and present a viable front to this neo-conservative, no-gooder BJP. Shuvo Datta
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2002 14:51:34 +0200 Subject: 'Death squad' to target Farooq Abdullah, Omar
Now why doesn't President Musharraf arrest this person, who is on the soil controlled by Pakistan and is making terrorist statements? Chakradhar Dharani
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 12:52:13 +0530 Subject: Option to join the Cabinet open: Mamata
I fail to understand why so much importance is being given to a person like Ms Mamata Banerjee, who is nothing but an opportunist to the core. I do not think she has any expertise in running the railway ministry and her demanding the sacking of Mr Nitish Kumar is childish. She is indeed a child with a very, very low IQ.
In my opinion, the prime minister is wasting the nation's time by having long parleys with this person. She should also be told that beggars can't be choosers. If she does not accept the portfolio offered to her she can go jump. Rajesh Vyas
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