Jaitley’s poser

Jaitley’s poser
Kudos to Arun Jaitley for asking the people to decide if they prefer ‘merit-based leadership’ or family rule (‘New lease of life for beleaguered BJP’, DNA, November 25). Now let Jaitley also tell the public whether the BJP supporting BS Yeddyurappa can be termed as value-based politics, and if the answer is in the affirmative, then it establishes that power is the ultimate goal for the BJP too; and if the answer is in the negative, let the BJP tell Yeddyurappa to quit.
— KRP Gupta, via email

Development works
Apropos ‘Nitish Kumar rides the governance wave’ (DNA, November 25), I agree that Nitish Kumar’s landslide victory shows that development works. It is pertinent to note in this context that this election in Bihar and the earlier one held in Gujarat, where both the incumbent chief ministers got re-elected with a thumping majority shows that the aam aadmi in these states has given a stamp of approval to their models of growth and development.

These elections have proved that to those mired in illiteracy, poverty, violence and unbearable living conditions, what matters is grassroot development to provide them the wherewithal for leading a respectable life. If all the other states in India emulate these development models, it won’t be long
before India can take its rightful place among the prosperous nations.
— Arvind G Nadkarni, via email

II
This Bihar election will be remembered for the eclipse of the political career of Bihar’s crafty demagogue Lalu Prasad. Surprisingly, Nitish Kumar also limited the Congress to just four seats. Admittedly, the victory brings a much needed reprieve for the BJP at a time when the party was finding it difficult to contain the damage the Karnataka episode has caused. Indeed, the Bihar polls prove that the voters will no longer tolerate poor
governance for the sake of ideology or caste politics. The electorate wants competent and imaginative
administrators, who can deliver development and good governance. The aspirations of the people cannot be ignored, except at one’s own peril.
—Bichu Muttathara, via email