Excessive media

Excessive media
The Arushi murder case seems to have taken the country by storm. I have full sympathy for the victims, but I believe there are enough problems facing the country already. Matters pertaining to these problems should be given preference by the media. Unfortunately this does not happen. The news channels stoop down to disgraceful levels to boost their TRPs in cases such as the Arushi murder. We need a law against such behaviour by the media in order to prevent its excessive intrusion into the lives of individuals.
—Benjamin Adams, Mumbai

IPL analysis
A lot of debate is being generated on the performances of the various teams in the IPL league. Whatever the analysis may be, the bottom line is simple: consistency in performance. As far as the composition of the teams is concerned, except perhaps Bangalore, all the teams are evenly matched. What has helped the teams at the top is that at least four of their batsmen and three of their bowlers have clicked simultaneously in each match. That is why a team like Hyderabad, which has players like Adam Gilchrist, Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma and RP Singh has done badly — mainly because they have not clicked in unison. But Jaipur, with lesser names, has outwitted everyone since all their players have worked together. Perhaps less famous names are a better bet since they can play without the burden of expectations. Their ‘lower’ reputation can also sedate the opposition into complacency, and with only 20 overs, there is almost no time to wake up.
—TR Ramaswami, via email

Unexpected win
The voters of Karnataka catapulted the BJP to victory, defying all poll predictions (‘BJP wins K’taka on its own steam’ DNA, May 26). While it was JD (S)’s hara-kiri which paved way for the BJP win, the spiralling inflation acted as roadblocks for the Congress Party in its march towards Bangalore. The crafty (now crestfallen) father-son duo — HD Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy — landed at the right place, down in the dumps!  In the 2006 Assembly elections in Kerala, voters rejected the UDF government for misgovernance and replaced it with the LDF. The voters are now disenchanted with the LDF too for its in-fighting and non-governance. Looking at the developments in Karnataka, the voters in Kerala who are unhappy with both the LDF and the UDF may perhaps prefer a third alternative such as the BJP which is making efforts to get a foothold in God’s own country.  
—KP Rajan, Mumbai

II
The BJP has now almost swept to power in Karnataka with 110 seats, leaving only 80 to the Congress, and forcing Deve Gowda’s JD(S) to settle for just 28 seats. The BJP has become successful with the well-organised efforts of would-be chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. The Congress has lost because of its failure to control inflation, terrorism, farmers’ suicides and many other anti-incumbency issues. Gowda’s covetous politics has backfired on him. The BJP now seems all set to conquer the South.  
—Achyut Railkar, Mumbai,

III
The BJP has successfully emerged as the single largest party, short of only three MLAs for absolute majority. Since no other party is in a position to form the government, the BJP is the only alternative. It will now be opening its account in the South as a ruling party. The Congress has failed in the eyes of the people and the poor performance of the JD(S) is not surprising. Now that the BJP is going to occupy the seat of power, they have a chance to prove themselves worthy of people’s trust in the coming five years. Their performance will be watched with interest. 
—MN Kale, Mumbai