Letters and mails to the Editor

How Nehru Government Spied on Subhas Chandra Bose's Kin for Nearly 20 Years

The story raises the question whether Nehru's position within the Congress and in India was that fragile during his tenure as PM that Netaji's return would have challenged his leadership.

M.M. Gurbaxani, Bengaluru

Unlock the Secret

I have always been puzzled by the importance attached to Netaji given his alliance of convenience with the Axis nations on the facile and specious presumption that the enemy's enemy is my friend (When Nehru Spied on Netaji, April 20). However, the article does bring to fore a larger and much pertinent issue of a government spying on free citizens. The snooping on the family members of Netaji was nothing but unauthorised infringement on one's individual rights.

Chandan Das, via email

While successive Congress governments have dithered over making the Netaji files public, fearing its consequences on the legacy of Congress icon Jawaharlal Nehru, the present non-Congress government has no such thing to worry about. Rather it must seize this opportunity to uncover the facts surrounding the mysterious death of the freedom fighter and give him his due place in history.

Smriti Sharma , via email

It is startling that nearly 70 years after Netaji's disappearance, the information regarding his death remains a mystery. Several governments had constituted committees in the past to review the decision of not disclosing the contents of the secret files but no substantial action ever followed. Expectations are high from the present government to break this trend and make these files accessible to the people.

Shweta Chaudhary, Delhi

Any further delay in declassification of the Netaji files in the name of spoiling relations with friendly countries will be unacceptable to Indians. These files can instead remove the air of ambiguity surrounding Netaji's life and put an end to the conspiracy theories about him.

G. Anuplal, Bengaluru

In Lalu's Footsteps

In running the Tamil Nadu government by proxy, J. Jayalalithaa is following in the footsteps of RJD boss Lalu Prasad Yadav who was forced to step down from the chief minister's post after his alleged involvement in the fodder scam came to light and appointed wife Rabri Devi his successor (Governance Runs Aground, April 20). Like in Jayalalithaa's case, all important administrative decisions were taken by Yadav. The result was political paralysis and administrative failure in Bihar. Tamil Nadu too is staring at a similar fate.

K.R. Srinivasan, Secunderabad

When Nehru spied on Netaji

However true these eye-opening historical accounts may be, such revelations do not augur well for the peace and stability of the country. Both Nehru and Bose served India well.

Sanjiv Gupta

Why blame Congress governments when the BJP-led government has also refused to reveal the contents of the files on Subhas Chandra Bose?

Aniket Ghosh

Looking through Mahatma's glasses

As much as I am an admirer and supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I feel that simply copying the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi won't help. The PM has to ensure that his big-ticket campaigns bring about the desired change in society.

Brick Bird

At a time when the Congress is suffering one blow after the other, the recent report on the Nehru government's spying on Netaji's family is a slap on its face. The party which had cornered then PM-designate Narendra Modi over his alleged snooping on a woman must now brace itself for questioning in the House over one of its tallest leaders using the government machinery to spy on the family of a freedom fighter.

A. Srikantaiah, Bengaluru

I beg to differ with the views of Professor Mridula Mukherjee on Netaji being a misguided patriot. He sought the help of European and Asian dictators to free India from British rule but that doesn't imply that he was a fascist. His cause was noble and his efforts heroic. He was an able leader and treaded an arduous path to help India achieve Independence.

Argha Banerjee, Kolkata

The declassification of documents on Netaji may cause historians who, so far, have proclaimed that India won its freedom because of the non-violent struggle, to rethink and give due recognition to the relentless struggle of patriots such as Netaji.

Samaga Dattatri, Bengaluru

For a Clean India Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be lauded for starting a campaign on cleanliness (Looking through Mahatma's Glasses, April 20). Before him, no PM ever gave any thought to it. Cleanliness, however, should not just be restricted to keeping our surroundings clean. The term should be expanded to include clean air and water as well. Pollution is a major health hazard and by linking it to the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', the PM can expect a better response to the campaign.

Ramesh Sinha, Gurgaon

Focus on Quality, Not Quantity I have been involved with the higher education sector in India for two decades and agree with the observations made by Nachiketa Tiwari (Time for Course Corrections, April 20). Lack of quality control is an issue that needs immediate attention of the government. The doctorate, particularly in humanities, should be awarded only after ensuring that the person's research is original. Further, PhD degree-holders should be encouraged to collaborate with industries to fill in the knowledge gap.

Selwyn Stanley, Plymouth

Deep-Seated Discrimination

Our deep-rooted adulation for all things foreign has fuelled our desire for a foreign skin colour (When Fair Is Not So Lovely, April 20). The advertisement industry's mindless promotion of the idea that fair skin can open windows of opportunity has driven us to acquire an attribute that is not indigenous to us as a race. The promotion of such stereotypes is in sharp contrast to the mindset of a progressive nation that we intend to become.

Neeharika Sinha, Allahabad

It is not fair to use the adjective 'fair' for a skin type that is low on the pigment melanin. The fact that we accept this adjective to practise discrimination against a vast section of people speaks of our lack of scientific knowledge. It is time that we work towards containing the spread of this social cancer that cuts across all barriers-be it religion, caste, language or economic prosperity.

S. Sivaprakasam, Puducherry

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