Greed games

The greed for money and power, through arrogance and manipulation, landed VK Sasikala into deep trouble. Jayalalithaa escaped but the hard-working and intelligent Tamil people got a raw deal. A progressive State like Tamil Nadu was relegated to backwardness due to the inept political system. AIADMK members should realise the truth of the saying “united we flourish, divided we perish”. All members should rally behind the selected chief minister to take the State, which is in turmoil, forward without further loss of time.

Vazuthur Raghavan

Bengaluru

No worries

The BJP should not be unduly worried by the ongoing developments in Tamil Nadu. Firstly, it has very little presence there and has nothing to lose. Secondly, during the earlier tenure of the NDA, both the DMK and the AIADMK alternately supported the BJP-led government. Therefore, even if in the 2019 polls, the BJP emerges as the single largest party, it can be sure of the backing of either the DMK or the AIADMK.

Arun Malankar

Mumbai

No governance

This refers to the edit, ‘After the verdict’. Even three months back no one would have imagined that Tamil Nadu politics would see such turmoil and governance would completely take a back seat. Now, whoever forms the government will have to be on his toes as the opposing faction will try to win over MLAs. It looks like instability will become a permanent feature of State politics. The governor will have a tough time taking the right decision.

Bal Govind

Noida, Uttar Pradesh

The charismatic and yet ruthless bonded subservience enforced by Jayalalithaa over her cadre and MLAs, is coming handy even for her surrogates. How else can one explain why almost all the party MLAs are sticking together in spite of Sasikala’ s conviction and adverse public opinion.

What was the singular contribution by Amma to her party may perhaps prove to be the greatest disservice she has rendered to her State. Even autocratic set-ups such as the SP, the BSP, the Shiv Sena, and the TMC have had internal rifts and rebellions. Not the AIADMK, until now.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

What’s so historic?

Newspapers and television channels have been hailing the Sasikala judgment as “historic and landmark”. This is laughable! That the judiciary has taken two decades to deliver the judgment speaks poorly of the judicial system in the country. There is nothing landmark or historic about that. As the saying goes, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” In this case, it was delayed so long that the accused died in the meantime. Indeed, innumerable criminal elements wander freely. To sum it up, the day the judiciary brings criminal elements swiftly to book, that day will be a great day in India.

S Ramakrishnasayee

Ranipet, Tamil Nadu

Highly unprepared

This refers to ‘Demonetisation transformed mindsets’ by Venkaiah Naidu (February 14). No doubt, the process instilled some fear in the minds of hoarders of unaccounted cash stashed in assets and benami hoaldings and even in accounts in foreign countries. But as experience showed, the process of high currency ban and collecting demonetised currencies without providing new currencies put ordinary people through great trouble.

Had the process been carried out after new currencies were made readily available and the quantum restricted to a reasonable amount the problems could have been reduced substantially. Implementing policies with such huge repercussions calls for a lot of preparation, and solutions for every likely problem should have been worked out and kept operational earlier.

TR Anandan

Coimbatore

U-turn

The court’s volte-face on the national anthem in cinema theatres makes us wonder why the learned judges don’t apply their legal minds in the first place.

R Prabhu Raj

Bengaluru

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.

COMMENT NOW