Letters

Feedback from readers.

The Congress

THE article “Reinventing the Congress” (Cover Story, November 18) was an incisive analysis of the existential crisis the Indian National Congress is facing. There is an urgent need for the development of the Congress because a pan-India party is required to counter the divisive agenda of the BJP.

The top brass of the Congress had a diminished connect with the masses and thus was blindfolded to the ground realities. This led to its fielding outsiders in contests. Lack of unity further hurt the party’s prospects. But the change in the party’s leadership and Rahul Gandhi’s stand against the anti-people and sectarian approaches of the BJP may have given the party a fresh start in the minds of people.

The AAP does not have a national presence, and its leadership plays truant at critical moments and issues. Regional satraps change their alliances to suit their personal concerns. This situation forces people to look for an alternative. The Congress must efficiently manage its intra-party affairs and evaluate its performance from top to bottom.

B. Rajsekaran

Bengaluru

THE Congress has for some time been viewed as a spent force as it lost one Assembly election after another and suffered from internal crises, with leaders either leaving for greener pastures or openly opposing the party leadership. With the election of Mallikarjun Kharge as party president, the Congress has entered a new phase, which one hopes will bring about a welcome change to the party and attract more people to it.

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which he has embarked on to connect with and unite people irrespective of their background or ideology, should be used to create awareness among people about the many serious issues facing the country such as hatred, oppression, the rhetoric of divisiveness, price rise, curbs on free speech, poverty, hunger, and unemployment, to name a few.

The new Congress president needs to focus on these issues, which the BJP does not give adequate importance to.

M.Y. Shariff

Chennai

THE enthusiasm in the media for the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not shared by common people (“One step at a time”, November 18). While Rahul Gandhi was walking through Telangana and the Congress was speaking of the grand success of the yatra, the party’s candidate lost her deposit in the byelection held in that State. It was a seat the Congress held, and the lost deposit bears testimony to its declining strength in the southern States.

The party took the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh for political gain and got decimated in the residual Andhra Pradesh and is yielding space to the BJP as the main opposition in Telangana.

If the Congress fails to regain power in Karnataka in 2023, then it may have to give up south India. With the pre-election surveys from Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh not so encouraging for the Congress, where is the revival of the party through the yatra? No amount of boosting from party intellectuals and the media is going to give the Congress fresh life as its weaknesses are congenital.

Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

MALLIKARJUN KHARGE was elected with the tacit support of the Gandhi family (“Agent of change?”, November 18). The other contender, Shashi Tharoor, said that there was need for change in the party. In this context, Kharge has said that 50 per cent of the party’s organisational posts should be held by people under the age of 50.

Although, the Congress is in limbo, one should not forget that it is the largest opposition party in the country. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has been received well and may be a game-changer for the Congress.

S. Murali

Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Hijab ban

Members from the Muslim Women Association during a silent protest after a few of Karnataka’s educational institutes denied entry to students wearing hijabs, in Hyderabad on February 15. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

THE satire “The case of the hijab” (November 18) was interesting and made plausible points about why the hijab was targeted. It is true, as the article says, that education boards would do well to focus on what goes into the heads of students rather than on what is on them.

The fact is that the State government or ruling party is targeting people of a specific religion by imposing a ban on cattle slaughter, launching a campaign against halal meat, and so on. Instead, the government should take immediate action to stop malicious trolls and work to brighten the future of students

Shaikh Husain

Mumbai

Assembly elections

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal at the Somnath temple in Gujarat on July 26. | Photo Credit: PTI

WHILE the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections will be a litmus test for the BJP governments in those States, what is at stake for the Congress, whose electoral fortunes have continued to nosedive election after election, is its very existence (“Two icons and tall promises”, November 18).

With the AAP also in the fray, the scenario is intriguing in both States, but especially so in Gujarat. The lack of an effective State leadership and the required organisational set-up has been the greatest disadvantage for the Congress in Gujarat. The desertion of several party leaders and supporters has only added insult to injury.

Although Arvind Kejriwal has presented voters with a third alternative and made steady inroads into both States, the personal charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi could strike an emotional chord with voters and tilt the balance in the BJP’s favour. While the BJP will find it tough to overcome anti-incumbency in Himachal Pradesh, its well-oiled election machinery and clear-cut campaign strategy could propel it to power once again in Gujarat.

B. Suresh Kumar

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Forest areas

A tree cut by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited in Aarey unit no 19, in Mumbai on September 30, 2018. | Photo Credit: PRASHANT WAYDANDE

ANY educated person can easily understand that forests play a big role in influencing rainfall (“No jungles out there”, November 18). A forest area catching fire is a serious issue. Factors such as climate change, deforestation, and dry weather add to the chances of a wildfire. It is time for us to protect our forest areas. Otherwise, there will be serious consequences

P. Senthil Saravana Durai

Mumbai

Caste

CASTE is a form of class into which one is born and from which it is very difficult to escape, and it has become part and parcel of the Indian psyche (“Karnataka’s shame”, November 4). Every political party must have an anti-caste cell to prevent the horrible practice of caste-based violence and turning Dalits into scapegoats for no fault of theirs. Other things that should be done are promoting inter-caste, inter-religious, international, and interracial marriages and starting an intra-national students’ exchange scheme where students of one religion and community stay with a family of another community and religion.

Peter Castellino

Mumbai

Bilkis Bano

IT is shocking that all the 11 convicts involved in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of members of her family, including her 3-year-old daughter, were set free without the trauma of the innocent victims being taken into consideration (“Justice for Bilkis”, September 23).

The so-called remission policy under which they were set free is not for such criminals, who are not entitled to any mercy. While the victim and her family were able to get on with their lives when the accused remained behind bars, now they have to live in fear again. Now that the victim has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, the Gujarat government should provide the victim’s family with protection and ensure that all the released accused surrender.

Ashok Nihalani

Pune, Maharashtr