•By expelling a senior leader like Jaswant Singh, on the pretext of his writing something about someone that the BJP had an ideological problem with, the party has shown just how rapidly it is losing its way (‘Yesterday’s issues’, IE, August 20). Couldn’t its leadership have at least had the courtesy of allowing Singh to explain himself? What is the BJP or the nation gaining from it? There are burning issues like Pak-based terrorism, drought, price rise, Naxalite violence, etc. The BJP must realise that taking recourse to its old-style politics and internal bickering will do it irreparable damage.

— Parimal Y. Mehta

Mumbai

Another ban

•The ban on Jaswant Singh’s book by the Gujarat government is uncalled for and smacks of political opportunism (‘Modi govt bans book’, IE, August 20). It betrays the democratic ideal of criticism and debate. It is also an insult to the people of Gujarat. How does the state machinery assume the right to decide what people should read and shouldn’t? Just how did we stumble upon this Stalinist culture of not allowing a dissenting voice, an opinion different from our own? If we start banning books on the flimsy pretext of a few words for/ against this or that person, there can hardly be any critical or analytical writing left in the market.

— Jagrut Gadit

Vadodara

Directionless

•This refers to the editorial ‘Yesterday’s issues’ and Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s ‘Party to differences’ (IE, August 20). How lasting the damage and shock of two successive electoral defeats can be is writ large on the BJP’s face. The 2009 general elections having added insult to the party’s injury; defeat has penetrated deep, so much so that over the last five years the BJP has failed to think through issues and take a principled intellectual stand on anything. It suffers even ideological confusion. The BJP’s immature reaction to Jaswant Singh’s book and his subsequent expulsion from the party testify to this loss of direction for India’s main opposition party.

... contd.