CWC meet
With no clear solution emerging from the stormy and marathon Congress Working Committee meeting, it is clear that the party is divided over Rahul Gandhi being made party president (Page 1, “Sonia to stay on as interim Cong. chief”, August 25). Further, media leaks and the tweets of dissenters which seem to have upset family loyalists show that the party does not believe in internal democracy which it religiously preaches at every forum.
Though the dissenters, who comprise senior and experienced members of the party, may find themselves isolated for the time being, the letter they drafted to the party leadership cannot be ignored. On the contrary, the CWC needs to revisit its political mistakes and think of solutions before it confronts doomsday.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
The melodrama in the Congress is also a reminder of the woeful plight of one of the most esteemed and influential political parties of independent India. It was the selfless and enduring contributions of many social reformers, thinkers and other legends that took the grand old party toward the zenith of fame and political reputation. Now, unfortunately, many of its contemporary leaders,who are supposed to be the torchbearers of reforms, can be seen floundering. Members of the working committee have to think of creative and constructive reforms in terms of its structure and functioning. If done even-handedly, there is a chance of the party regaining its lost glory.
Prabhakaran Vallath,
Vatakara , Kozhikode, Kerala
It’s simple. It was an opportunity lost. This was not the outcome that I was expecting. The party itself is one that is filled with strong voices. But for one sane and respected voice to emerge, it is necessary that the party leadership creates an opportunity for this. There was once a time when the party was favoured by the majority of citizens and no other party could even imagine defeating it. Monday’s events should be a wake-up call.
Subhashini Ramasamy,
Thane, Maharashtra
It is the adamant refusal of party leaders and cadre to learn from the bitter political lessons of the past which is responsible for why the once majestic party has been relegated to the fringes of the political spectrum. At a time when the party is facing its worst-possible situation and faces an existential crisis, the agenda should been to have a thorough and dispassionate introspection. The fact that even a proposal/letter calling for a leadership change and organisational overhaul by a section of senior and experienced leaders who have stood by the party in every crisis was rejected smacks of an authoritarian mindset. There needs to be a structural and ideological revamp, right from the grass roots.
B. Suresh Kumar,
Coimbatore
The hours long drama of loyalists launching into a tirade against ‘dissenters’ and getting a seemingly reluctant leader to continue as interim president looked more like a well-choreographed political drama scripted for the eventual return of Rahul Gandhi. To thrust responsibility on him, a leader with no fire in the belly and with a proven poor track record, who in turn will have to take on a formidable leader of the Prime Minister’s stature and a well-oiled party machinery of the BJP would amount to further political ruin for the Congress.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
Why should the 23 Congressmen who wrote the by now famous letter to the Congress president be called ‘dissenters’? I would have called them ‘conscience keepers’ instead. Each one of them is a stalwart of the party in his own right. The most unfortunate aspect of the story is that it was Rahul Gandhi who came out as the bitterest critic of the 23 brave men. All those who desire the democratic system in the country to survive, naturally wish for a strong Opposition party to emerge in the country. In the present circumstances it has to be the Indian National Congress. In such a situation is it wise on the part of Rahul Gandhi to alienate even those who have stood by the party through thick and thin?
K.P. Luke Vydhian,
Bengaluru
Why is so much newsprint being wasted to write about the peculiar goings-on in the Congress? There is no leader in the Indian National Congress and the party has been crushed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. We can look forward to a third term for the BJP.
N. Subramaniam,
Chennai
Misplaced concerns
The claim that the DNA Bill can be misused does not hold water (Page 1, August 25). It is not as though the U.S. does not have racial issues. The nation has a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), with approximately 3 million DNA profiles, in operation for over 25 years. It has greatly aided crime solving and identification. We do need the benefits of forensic science and computer technology which will help law enforcement authorities.
Dr. Thomas Palocaren
Vellore, Tamil Nadu
