| Published on 20-05-2007 In National | | Viewed 1357 times | | Written by
Cho Ramaswamy | 
H Tamilarasan, Mumbai 17
Question: What do you make of pace bowler Sreesanth's argument that there is nothing wrong in cricketers' acting in television commercials?
Answer: Personally I have nothing against this because like everyone in life, cricketers ought to make hay while the sun shines. But by making this statement, the player has transgressed the fiat of BCCI banning team members from speaking to the press. Now, that is wrong.
A Sabari, Chennai 4
Question: Now that Vaiko has pointed out that the Tamil Tiger rebels have refuted the claim by the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu that they had indeed killed 5 fishermen and kidnapped 12 persons of the same vocation (all of them Indians) what is your reaction?
Answer: The Tiger terrorists did not react to the charge of our naval officers when they said that the killings and kidnappings of Indian fishermen were indeed the handiwork of the rebels. Several days elapsed. The TN DGP confirmed the same thing. The Tigers remained silent for a longer period. The Chief Minister was forced to make a wishy-washy statement in the state legislative assembly. Even then the terrorists took a long time to react. In my opinion, either the state government or the rebels' apologists here have perhaps begged the terrorists to publicly distance themselves from the perfidious acts in the interregnum – which were heeded to finally. Frankly, [in the face of all this] I am unable to believe [the Tigers' claim].
C Abirami, Kayakkad
Question: Why are the Tigers angry with the Indian Tamil fishermen?
Answer: I do not know whether they are really angry with the fishermen. There is a possibility of their being angry about the fact that some Indian fishermen haven't cooperated with them in smuggling [supplies of edibles and arms]. But they have other sinister motives. Any attack against the Indian Tamil fishermen is bound to result in the TN government's condemning the Sri Lankan Navy. As a consequence, this will affect the central government's military aid to the island nation. The Tigers might have indulged in the despicable acts on the basis of these surmises. Whether the murders were also part of the terrorists' game plan is a matter for investigation.
Padmini Balaraman, Coimbatore 38
Question: Do you see any danger to India from the "air force" of the LTTE?
Answer: In my opinion, there is none [for the time being]. But if any provocation is triggered by the Tamil Tiger rebels, India would undoubtedly go all out to crush all their strongholds. That would mean their total annihilation – a possibility the Tigers are fully aware of. Therefore, there is no danger from their "air force" to India.
KN Balakrishnan, Kumbhakonam 1
Question: Why [do you think] that the Sri Lankan intelligence couldn't anticipate the third air attack by the LTTE?
Answer: I have already said many times that the Sri Lankan defence establishment is weaker than Tamil Nadu's local police. Now their intelligence seems to be worse.
V Muttiah, Tirunelveli Town
Question: All your predictions about the LTTE have come true. Yet some Tamil Nadu politicians are bent upon supporting them. Why?
Answer: Probably pelf or mere fear could be the reasons. The only other possibility is that the Tigers' apologists want to be on their right side when they emerge victorious and hence are going about preparing the ground work for being in their good books. Many may be doing that due to the fallacious belief that supporting the Tigers ipso facto means the backing of the Tamils in the island.
Sinthanai Selvan, Srivaikuntam 1
Question: "Had there been no emergency promulgated in 1975, I wouldn't have emerged as a political leader. [On that count] the act is justified," says Laloo Prasad Yadav. Comment.
Answer: The emergency is a thing of the distant past. Making such sarcastic remarks about it, criticising and teasing the act are unwarranted in today's context.
S Purushottama Rajan, Paramakudi
Question: If Jayalalithaa's argument – "the Congress played opportunistic politics by taking on board the DMK – a party criticised by [the all India unit] as "murderers" is correct, how does one term her party's alignment with the MDMK?
Answer: That is opportunism too. But, the position of the Congress is slightly different [in this context]. It had alleged that the DMK had created the ground situation that resulted in the murder of [former Prime Minister] Rajiv Gandhi. Now, despite his widow heading the party, it has chosen to forget such a serious charge and has a political relationship with the DMK. That, in my opinion, is the zenith of opportunism.
M Sampath, Velayudhanpalayam
Question: Doesn't the parliament have the right to legislate a law that goes against what the Supreme Court says in the matter concerning reservations?
Answer: The position of the Supreme Court is congruent with that of the Constitution.
The parliament doesn't possess a right to enact a law that goes against its letter and spirit. Politicians are now attempting to amend the Constitution itself to empower themselves to acquire such a right. However, the final deciding authority on the issue is the Supreme Court indeed.
Question: Do you think that the Tamil Manila Congress will have to be revived yet again?
Answer: We first need to explore whether the very existence of the Congress [as a unit] in Tamil Nadu is possible.
N Balu , Chennai 41
Question: Upholding the Tamil Nadu government's legislation to abolish Common Entrance Tests, the Madras High Court judges said in their judgement that the enactment served a need of social justice [and on those grounds] it could not suppress the wishes of crores of people. Comment.
Answer: For a brief moment let us think beyond the ambit of this judgement. The court's ruling cannot be based on the "wishes of crores of people" as there was no referendum on the issue and the court does not possess any yardstick to comprehend as to how many crores of people really wished the abolishment of the CET.
Now to take this argument further, let us for a moment accept the premise that crores of people indeed wanted the scrapping of the tests. Even on those grounds, the will of the people cannot be the basis for courts' judgements because they have to be in accordance with the Constitution and other rulings in similar matters.
Question: Do the courts decide to demolish illegally constructed [popular] showrooms on the basis of the people's wishes? Does public sympathy pave the way for pronouncements against a murder accused? If the [electing] public want a politician to be recalled, will the courts heed their feelings on an [election petition]? Or, are all these rulings based on the deposition of witnesses [and relevant laws]?
Answer: If the masses are in favour of some enactment, it is the duty of legislators to pilot and pass such bills. And the courts have the duty to examine whether such enactments are good in law. Instead of all this, conducting an opinion poll isn't the vocation of the courts.
A Abdul Kader, Vilathikulam
Question: "I am being dubbed as the enemy of the film industry – an allegation that doesn't have an iota of truth," says Dr Ramadoss. Comment.
Answer: I am foxed by this one. Dr Ramadoss is already challenging the position of Kalaingar as the leader of the Tamil race. Has [the PMK founder] begun nursing other 'titular' hopes? A la Kalaingar, does Ramadoss too want to produce movies and popularise his name amongst the masses? Treading the known DMK path, he has already begun publishing a newspaper and started a television channel. Is cinema the next stop?
S Purushottama Rajan, Paramakudi
Question: What do you make of the tidings which link the murder of Rajiv Gandhi to [arms dealer] Quattrocchi with relevance to reports that aver that the Italian met LTTE advisor Anton Balasingam?
Answer: This is a smoking cracker which can burst any moment. [Vested interests] might attempt to douse it by pouring water. For some strange reason, a similar accusation made a few years ago by Dr Subramanian Swamy and a consequent demand for a detailed probe, comes to my mind.
M Bhasker, Dindigul
Question: "Before the oppressed, depressed and backward classes consisting of people described as fourth, fifth…castes express their pent up fury like volcanoes, the central government should wake up immediately and find a way out," Chief Minister Karunanidhi has been quoted as saying. Comment.
Answer: Kalaingar has used the epithets 'fourth [and] fifth castes' to describe whom he often refers to as "Shudras." Now, who really is a Shudra ? The chimera of all non-Brahmins being described as Shudras is the remnant sludge of the colonial British regime. The Kshatriyas [warrior class] and Vaishyas [merchant class] – part of the Varna tradition are also included in this broad classification. In the absence of enlightened people who can differentiate between these divisions, it has become a fashion for everybody being referred to [as wronged people]. While there is [such a confusion] in the Varna categorisation itself, it is compounded when [it actually boils down to the hierarchy] of castes because there are hundreds of them. Therefore, those who are forth and fifth on a scale of hundred and more, ought to be considered as better placed people. On that count, the CM's statement will not serve any purpose other than fanning flames of hatred.
C Abirami, Kayakkad
Question: What difference do you perceive between those from the DMK who took part in the anti-Hindi agitation and the present MPs belonging to the party opting for a crash course in the language [organised by the] Parliament?
Answer: Political policies are not meant to render their creator's close relatives or his/her immediate subordinates into dunderheads. They are purely meant for [the gullible] public. Their bosses [naturally know better, jettison them] and explore ways for betterment in life.
(Translated from Thuglak by TSV Hari)
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