M A I L B A G

NDA victory: the lesson to learn

THE NDA victory in Bihar augurs well for the state. Hopefully Nitish Kumar’s government will quickly begin the process of development in Bihar. The state that was once an ideal of educational and industrial achievement has been taken back by many decades, thanks to the 15-year misrule of the Lalu-Rabri government. Now the people of Bihar can hope for the best.

Ram Vilas Paswan is also responsible for the victory of the JD(U)-BJP combine. Had he not kept insisting on a Muslim Chief Minister, the outcome would, perhaps, have been different. A Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian should become Chief Minister only if he or she is deserving, not otherwise. In a true secular party, no one should be projected as a chief ministerial or prime ministerial candidate solely on the basis of his/her religion.

PRASHANT SOLOMON, New Delhi

II

The Bihar Assembly election results prove that the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Lok Janshakti Party are not secular. Their secular credentials are hollow. They raise the slogan of secularism only to buy votes in the elections. The LJP had a single-point agenda — to install a Muslim Chief Minister in Bihar, whether the people wanted it or not.

And what has the Congress done for Muslims? Its government in Andhra Pradesh provided quota for Muslims and the Andhra Pradesh High Court subsequently declared it null and void. The party could get only nine seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly!

BHARAT BHUSHAN MEHTA, Ludhiana

III

The NDA’s victory proves that even people in Bihar have a mind of their own and know how to exercise their franchise correctly. It is also a lesson for Lalu-Rabri not to take Bihar for granted. But Nitish Kumar has to deliver good governance. Else, Lalu is bound to bounce back with a big bang and it will be back to square one again.

ANIKET SINGH, Ambala Cantonment

IV

The Bihar election results proved that politicians cannot fool the people all the time. The 15-year-long Lalu Raj is over in Bihar. Results show that in our democratic setup, the people are supreme; they have given their mandate against Lalu’s maladministration. The state where one party was in power for 15 years and the people continue to suffer from basic necessities like roads, drinking water, power supply and roads.

There is a lesson to learn from Bihar. Chief Ministers of all other states should know that they too will be shown the door by the people if they don’t perform.

GAURAV BHATIA, Amritsar

V

If the Lalu-Rabri combine misruled Bihar for 15 years, Buta Singh misruled it for another nine months, thanks to Ram Vilas Paswan. As it was a free and fair election, the people have given an anti-Laloo mandate and elected the JD(U)-BJP combine to power to help Nitish Kumar make his mission possible.

Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan should now resign from the Union Cabinet owning moral responsibility for their parties’ dismal performance in the Bihar elections.

V. KRISHNAKUMAR, New Delhi

Kutty’s killing threatens peace This refers to the editorial “Kutty’s killing: It exposes the Taliban’s inhuman character” (Nov 24). Such incidents prove Pakistan’s complacent attitude towards terrorism. The Taliban have no existence if their Pakistani masters withdraw their covert blessings. Peace can never be achieved in the region if such incidents keep on repeating at regular intervals. The international community must take much of the blame for the current mess in the Middle East and South Asia. Strategic concerns of the West made them look elsewhere when the terror footprints pointed towards Islamabad. Even now, only a fool could admit that a history-sheeter like A.Q. Khan could run a global nuclear shop without his government’s overt or covert help. However, we must never let our guard down and ensure maximum security to the personnel working in war-ravaged nations. While no condolence can ever bring Kutty back to his family, the caravan of reaching out to traditional allies should not stop midway. RAJIV BHALLA, Chandigarh