[Letter to Piloo Mody]

Summary

In this letter dated 15 July 1974, Minoo Masani responds sharply to Piloo Mody’s letter of 11 July, dismissing it as containing “diversionary red herrings, unfounded assumptions and half-truths.” Masani declines to rebut Mody’s individual debating points, arguing that doing so would serve no purpose.

The letter frames their disagreement as a difference over the nature of “politics” in the contemporary Indian context. Masani presents political affiliation as a matter of personal choice: he has chosen Jayaprakash Narayan, while Mody has chosen Biju Patnaik. The page offers no further explanation of these choices or of the substantive issues separating the two correspondents.

Key points

• Masani replies to Piloo Mody’s letter of 11 July 1974.
• He characterizes Mody’s arguments as red herrings, assumptions, and half-truths.
• Masani says he sees no purpose in demolishing Mody’s individual debating points.
• The correspondents disagree about the nature of politics in contemporary India.
• Masani identifies Jayaprakash Narayan as his political choice and Biju Patnaik as Mody’s.