Aakar Patel’s piece (How Some Gather Silver..., Feb 11) is full of innuendos and half-truths. He gat­hers convenient facts to couch his rather predetermined conclusions.

Novonil Guha, Delhi

What about the scams of your media brethren, Mr Patel?

Ravi Patel, Baroda

Is this supposed to be a reasoned rebuttal to Nandy’s comments? If so, it fails miserably as it supports the man’s thesis—corruption among OBCs, SC/STs etc is in effect levelling the playing field and providing equal opportunity.

Arun Visvanathan, Chennai

This article is written around a predetermined conclusion instead of using information to form an opinion. In this case an opinion has been pushed and convenient information has been used.
Here let me illustrate this - //When a Vadra commits a scam, one isn’t even sure whether it was actually a scam, though the numbers are clear on the balancesheet. //
And then Aakar Patel(Who I think is one of very few ballsy columnists in India even if I may disagree with him on most things) says this as well - //The former tend to be complex, less likely to provoke anger, and therefore, more easily forgotten. // , he actually embarasses himself.
The anger against Vadra, is second to none. People in India are more angry on average with the Vadra situation than an A.Raja situation. Kalmadi I checked, is a so called 'upper' caste. People are angrier at the likes of Kalmadi than Raja. The evidence against Raja is a lot more than sadly, the evidence against even Vadra or Kalmadi. But the truth is that Raja was defended by everyone including our PM who felt like it was his moral duty to safeguard the rights of Raja since he was a member of a party that was an important ally and a 'Dalit'.
Aakar, what really angers the middle classes, is the condescension of the upper middle classes and the imposition of large fiscal responsibilities on them at a time when there is high inflation(probably number one middle class anger issue) and like always in india, large unemployment.
I like Aakar for not giving a fuc* and speaking his mind. I don't think he has spoken his mind in a couple of parts of this column.
Cheers

Perhaps the only non-controversial statement one can make is that no caste is clean.

I think Aakar didn't read other report of Uttam Sengupta in same Outlook.

 Is this article supposed to be a reasoned rebuttal of Ashis Nandy's comments. If so it fails miserably. If so it fails miserably because it in facts supports Nandy's thesis viz. that corruption in OBCs, SC/ST etc is in effect levelling the playing field and providing equal opportunity.

Is it a coincidence that all those whose misdeeds have been ignored are Congress cronies while those whose actions are under the scanner are political oppnents of the party in power at the centre. Unlike Vadra who has made a fortune overnight, Jagan's steady accumulation of wealth took place over a long period while his father was the CM of Andhra. it was only after he revolted against the Congress after his legitimate claim to inherit the gaddi was rejected that the independent, apolitical investigative agencies realised something was amiss.

Actually, this comment is a waste of time. Kiran Bagchi has it right in one word. 

Trash!! 

 Why this buffoon gets so much writing space it beyond me. If one needed "empirical" evidence, a la Nandy style, of the declining standards of Indian journalism, this nincompoop will win it hands down. 

 Yesterday we've read under caption ''Dozens suspended in Harvard University's cheating scandal ." 

I would be highly interested to know the name and details (include caste) of the favourites Prof. Ashis Nandy sponsored.  How many of the suspended due to their skill in scam are SC/ST/ OBC?

Level and dimension of corruption would come alive  before us.

Prof. Nandy will you?

I have one word to say for this article: rubbish. 

#3

Friend of fatherless!
Fountain of happiness!
Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on
Fire when I gaze at thy
Calm and commanding eye,
Like the sun in the sky,
Comrade Namo!

Thou are the giver of
All that thy creatures love,
Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon;
Every beast great or small
Sleeps at peace in his stall,
Thou watchest over all,
Comrade Namo!

Had I a sucking-pig,
Ere he had grown as big
Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin,
He should have learned to be
Faithful and true to thee,
Yes, his first squeak should be
"Comrade Namo!"

 And luckily for us Gujus and hopefully soon for the rest of India, there is one man who is not on the take. And that man is Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi the greratest!

 What about the scams of the media crooks Mr Patel? Shall I start listing them for you?

Aakar Patel's article is fool of innuendos, half truths, deliberate suppressions and dishonest comparisons. He only gathers convenient facts to reach his predetermined conclusions.

Aakar Patel's article is fool of innuendos, half truths, deliberate suppressions and dishonest comparisons. He only gathers convenient facts to reach his predetermined conclusions.

 What about the scams of the media crooks Mr Patel? Shall I start listing them for you?

 And luckily for us Gujus and hopefully soon for the rest of India, there is one man who is not on the take. And that man is Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi the greratest!

#3

Friend of fatherless!
Fountain of happiness!
Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on
Fire when I gaze at thy
Calm and commanding eye,
Like the sun in the sky,
Comrade Namo!

Thou are the giver of
All that thy creatures love,
Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon;
Every beast great or small
Sleeps at peace in his stall,
Thou watchest over all,
Comrade Namo!

Had I a sucking-pig,
Ere he had grown as big
Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin,
He should have learned to be
Faithful and true to thee,
Yes, his first squeak should be
"Comrade Namo!"

I have one word to say for this article: rubbish. 

 Yesterday we've read under caption ''Dozens suspended in Harvard University's cheating scandal ." 

I would be highly interested to know the name and details (include caste) of the favourites Prof. Ashis Nandy sponsored.  How many of the suspended due to their skill in scam are SC/ST/ OBC?

Level and dimension of corruption would come alive  before us.

Prof. Nandy will you?

 Why this buffoon gets so much writing space it beyond me. If one needed "empirical" evidence, a la Nandy style, of the declining standards of Indian journalism, this nincompoop will win it hands down. 

Trash!! 

 Is this article supposed to be a reasoned rebuttal of Ashis Nandy's comments. If so it fails miserably. If so it fails miserably because it in facts supports Nandy's thesis viz. that corruption in OBCs, SC/ST etc is in effect levelling the playing field and providing equal opportunity.

Is it a coincidence that all those whose misdeeds have been ignored are Congress cronies while those whose actions are under the scanner are political oppnents of the party in power at the centre. Unlike Vadra who has made a fortune overnight, Jagan's steady accumulation of wealth took place over a long period while his father was the CM of Andhra. it was only after he revolted against the Congress after his legitimate claim to inherit the gaddi was rejected that the independent, apolitical investigative agencies realised something was amiss.

Actually, this comment is a waste of time. Kiran Bagchi has it right in one word. 

I think Aakar didn't read other report of Uttam Sengupta in same Outlook.

Perhaps the only non-controversial statement one can make is that no caste is clean.

This article is written around a predetermined conclusion instead of using information to form an opinion. In this case an opinion has been pushed and convenient information has been used.
Here let me illustrate this - //When a Vadra commits a scam, one isn’t even sure whether it was actually a scam, though the numbers are clear on the balancesheet. //
And then Aakar Patel(Who I think is one of very few ballsy columnists in India even if I may disagree with him on most things) says this as well - //The former tend to be complex, less likely to provoke anger, and therefore, more easily forgotten. // , he actually embarasses himself.
The anger against Vadra, is second to none. People in India are more angry on average with the Vadra situation than an A.Raja situation. Kalmadi I checked, is a so called 'upper' caste. People are angrier at the likes of Kalmadi than Raja. The evidence against Raja is a lot more than sadly, the evidence against even Vadra or Kalmadi. But the truth is that Raja was defended by everyone including our PM who felt like it was his moral duty to safeguard the rights of Raja since he was a member of a party that was an important ally and a 'Dalit'.
Aakar, what really angers the middle classes, is the condescension of the upper middle classes and the imposition of large fiscal responsibilities on them at a time when there is high inflation(probably number one middle class anger issue) and like always in india, large unemployment.
I like Aakar for not giving a fuc* and speaking his mind. I don't think he has spoken his mind in a couple of parts of this column.
Cheers