Promises not to keep

This is with reference to your editorial, “A bit of this and a bit of that” (April 8). In fact, the BJP’s manifesto has been reduced to a political ritual, which every party has to perform. Though this sacrosanct document is very important to showcase the party’s vision, it is not taken seriously by the parties. In this case the timing and contents are both questionable.

SP Singh

Meerut

The editorial is an objective appraisal. Compared to other documents, the BJP’s manifesto is more comprehensive, addresses young voters’ concerns and banks on infrastructure and delivery improvement instead of entitlement to promote prosperity. Its inclusion of contentious issues like scrapping Article 370 is marked by a subdued approach to resolve them. Whether Modi will be able to implement it will depend on the number of seats the BJP wins.

YG Chouksey

Pune

The editorial aptly sums up the ‘modifesto’. It is only natural that the BJP manifesto bears the stamp of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The manifesto appears sensible but the difficult part is its implementation. Modi will have to do a lot of balancing to deliver on his promises of good governance, inclusive development and growth if voted to power.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

It is obvious the BJP’s manifesto will have Modi’s footprint on it. It is commendable that the Ram temple issue is not in the forefront anymore. On issues like checking inflation, corruption, governance and judicial reforms it is on expected lines. But opposing FDI in retail is unfortunate. It is good that it has proposed a national land use policy specifically for non- cultivable land and that it will ensure optimum use of thorium reserves.

Bal Govind

Noida

The BJP’s manifesto is a sensible message to the nation. Instead of the usual practice of promising false things it rightly concentrates on issues concerning the nation such as job creation, making the country a manufacturing hub instead of remaining a market for others, and encouragement to region specific agriculture. It is certainly a mature document.

VS Ganeshan

Bangalore

The BJP has finally come out with a manifesto which looks by and large good but for tinges of Hindutva issues. The salient features such ase simplifying the student education loan process, committing to 33 per cent women’s reservation in Parliament and the assemblies, initiating modernisation of madrasas, and so on are steps to attract voters.

HP Murali

Bangalore

New mantra

From politics to sports, from astronomy to astrology, from cinema to business, everything and everyone seems to have found a place under the roof of social media. Many political figures have gained immense popularity due to this. However one growing concern is its credibility. It’s an easy way to spread rumours and create hype. Remember the incidences of violence against people from the Northeast in several cities, which were reportedly sparked by rumours spread through social media? A recent example is of Yuvraj’s home being attacked after he performed poorly in the T20 final against Sri Lanka — this was after people went beserk on the social media. We must not screen web content like they do in China, but equally let’s not support baseless rumours.

Sathyaraj

Manipal

Not much use

I wish the writer of “Drop the taxi and rent a car” (Arvind Jayaram, April 7) had touched upon the core subject. The article would have been more useful if it had mentioned average cab charges, average rental charges, how much petrol it comes with (full tank?), and the terms of hiring. After all, we can always find the names of rental agencies on Google. It’s the other information readers need.

M Sadashiva Rao

Mangalore

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