LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
An old issue
The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying hard to milk the Katchatheevu issue for all it is worth. Was the Prime Minister putting the ‘party first’ or the ‘nation first’? Instead of raking up what happened in a bygone era in the run-up to the general election, the top leader ought to have raised the issue of the retrieval of the islet with the Sri Lankan government during his rule. He manifestly failed to dissuade the Sri Lankan government from arresting Indian fishermen. Jingoism, sabre-rattling and bellicosity are only for domestic consumption.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
The Katchatheevu issue has been well explained in all the relevant forums and history books.
Compared to the area of the islet of Katchatheevu, China is said to have usurped thousands of square kilometres of land from India. Why are there weak statements on this? Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
It is but natural for the Sri Lankan media to be peeved about an issue that was considered long settled. Just like the Sengol, that many had neither heard of or even forgotten, and which was needlessly refurbished at the time of commissioning the new Parliament building, Katchatheevu too will find no traction among the citizens of Tamil Nadu. Even if our leaders were ‘wrong’ as far as the Katchatheevu issue, there is very little that can be done about it now. In the larger interests of good neighbourly diplomacy, it is best we avoid such delicate topics as part of election rhetoric. H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
A ‘cure’ and the court
It was amusing to come across the phrase, “self-styled yoga guru”, in the report, “Why did Centre turn a blind eye to Patanjali’s ‘COVID cure’ claim, asks SC”, April 3). Are not all the umpteen number of “gurus” mushrooming across India self-styled? As long as you know the art of fooling the masses and earning followers, you can be a “leader” in politics or “religion” in the present context in India. C.K. Prem Kumar, Palakkad, Kerala
This is not the first time that Patanjali has found itself in the middle of a row. It is well known that the ‘guru’ is a staunch supporter of a well-known national party. That the Court has used strong language in the case underscores the seriousness of the issue in health care.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai