It seems that flinging a shoe has become the new way to protest worldwide. My NEWS readers give mixed reactions to our desi version
After Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi flung his shoes at the then US president George W Bush, the Indian version was enacted on Tuesday.
Jarnail Singh from Dainik Jagran hurled his size-9 Reebok shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram, as he was not satisfied with the reasons given for giving Jagdish Tytler a clean chit in the 1984 riots.
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Such incidents reflect the loopholes in our law system. Why was Jarnail not punished? I fear that in the future, someone may even throw a bomb at our ministers.
Bhavesh Jani
Nala Sopara (E)Attention seekerThrow a shoe at a political bigwig to get extensive attention for a cause you espouse! This is the latest international trend.
India caught up with this trend soon enough when Jarnail Singh took a 'shoe shot' on Tuesday.
P Chidambaram has now joined the exalted ranks of George Bush and Wen Jiabao.
u00a0All episodes have stemmed from the respective perpetrators' belief in their respective social causes rather than from any desire for personal vendetta. Each one of these shots has invariably been directed at a politician.
Does this, then, indicate a form of simmering public ire against the state administrators that seeks to vent its frustration in the most insulting form possible?
Each shoe thrown has reawakened a wide spectrum of media and public to a social cause that needs action, participation and debate. Large sections of the media have re-examined the causes that led to this dramatic protest.
Once again, a cause has gained a prominent place in the minds of the discerning public. This has the potential to cause long-term and long-lasting reverberations in society.
The shoes have made their mark even if they did not hit bull's eye.
It will be interesting to wait and see which other cause will get a dose of shoe therapy and will succeed in jolting the public out of its lethargy and apathy, and push for meaningful debate and participation.
Madhukar Kumar
New Delhi
In bad taste
I was elated when journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi flung his shoes at George W Bush because the tyrant deserved it.
But I was pained when Dainik Jagran journalist Jarnail Singh copied Muntadar's act and hurled his shoe at Home Minister
P Chidambaram during a press conference on Tuesday. By asking for his shoe back, he wants to have the cake and eat it too.
Chidambaram was gracious to forgive Jarnail and has earned brownie points towards the end of his tenure. Jarnail should reject the Rs 2 lakh reward offered by the Shiromani Akali Dal and advise fellow Sikhs to consider the anti-Sikh riots case closed.
K Rajan
Borivli
