Minorities

IT is a stark fact that after Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister in 2014, an atmosphere of intolerance against the minority communities in the country is growing (Cover Story, July 6). Modi’s silence in the face of anti-minority incidents, especially when they occur in Bjp-ruled States, is baffling.

Although the Emergency, which happened 43 years ago, was indeed a blot on India’s democracy, the country is now witnessing a daily emergency against certain sections of the population, who are being targeted by vigilante groups while the government at the Centre looks the other way. During the Emergency, the common man was not greatly harassed even though a few politicians were incarcerated for a brief period.

The secular-minded people of this country will never forget the 2002 Gujarat pogrom during which a few thousand Muslims perished when Modi was Chief Minister. Although Modi speaks at length about the safety and security of women, particularly those of the minority communities, a recent report of the Thomson Reuters Foundation has found that India is the most unsafe place in the world for women, ranking below Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. N.C. SREEDHARAN KANNUR, KERALA

THE article “Age of unreason” (July 6) was an eye-opener as it detailed how the BJP, including the Prime Minister, and the Sangh Parivar are doing their best to make the aam aadmi believe that modern scientific development had its basis in the Indian (Hindu) mythology. It pains one that a person, especially of the stature of Prime Minister, can forget that his every remark is considered important not only in the country but also all over the world. BIDYUT KUMAR CHATTERJEE FARIDABAD, HARYANA