Tarnishing Azharuddin’s image

This is in response to the letter “Congress using Azharuddin for Muslim votes” by Safi H. Jannaty (Jan. 28). In his letter, Jannaty tried to tarnish the image of former Indian cricket captain and present parliamentarian Mohammed Azharuddin and intervened in his personal life, which he should have avoided. Actually we are unaware of the circumstances in which he divorced his first wife and married another woman.
Jannaty also accuses the Congress party of using Azharuddin for Muslim votes. Let me explain to Jannaty that it is not the Congress party only which is using a celebrity like Azharuddin but it is a common political practice in India. For example the Bharatiya Janata Party is using Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, Navjot Singh Siddhu and so on.
The political parties keep such “special” people in the party to gain public support and votes. It is not something new and I don’t think there is anything wrong. Those who are using them are happy and those who are being used are happy, so, why should we be bothered about it. It is all OK and a part of the political game. — A reader, By e-mail