GOP146;s options

8226; An excellent article from Lord Meghnad Desai 8216;This isn8217;t exactly Sunday reading for Sonia: how...

8226; An excellent article from Lord Meghnad Desai 8216;This isn8217;t exactly Sunday reading for Sonia: how to build a New Congress8217;, IE, February 29. The Congress seems to be slipping day after day, no matter what gimmicks its spin doctors resort to. It is a different matter that due to this dithering, the country is moving towards a more stable, coalition-based government.
The current state of affair could, however, increase the possibility of the BJP turning into another Congress that is, into a party with authoritarian inclinations and this would be disastrous for India. For the country to prosper we need to have a strong ruling party and an equally strong opposition, so that the governing party is always forced to perform. It is high time that the Congress thought out of the box and identified the core issues on which it should base policy statements and visions for governance. Dynasty and sycophancy will get the Congress nowhere.

8212; Mandar Bhome On e-mail

Sincere solutions

8226; Science from the heart8217; by Arun Shourie IE, March 1 is indeed a very moving analysis on the plight of disabled children. The writer gives examples of how simple things can make life better for these children. Yes, life can be made better for disabled children, but do state and Central governments care? Certainly not, for they do not have the heart to see the pain and suffering of these children.

8212; Arvind Amin On e-mail

Let them go

8226; This refers to the news story 8216;Sonia imposing her choices on Congress, says Najma8217; IE, March 1. Whether the Congress wins the forthcoming general elections or not, one thing is definitely 8216;8216;shining8217;8217; for the party. A lot of 8216;8216;dead wood8217;8217; is being cleared out. The exit of people like Najma Hepatullah, Bangarappa and Laxman Singh should be considered an advantage. These are the type of people who are so much embedded in the past that the younger generation cannot empathise with them. The clean-up is bound to revitalise the party. There are enough examples of political groupings like Britain8217;s Labourites and America8217;s Democrats emerging rejuvenated after long spells in opposition.

8212; Ramesh Lahoti On e-mail

Answer in questions

8226; Apropos of Syed Shahabuddin8217;s superb analysis 8216;13 questions for the BJP8217;, IE, February 28, in this anti-Islamic world you rarely find a person who writes in favour of Muslims. The writer has exposed the designs of the Sangh Parivar.

8212; Imran On e-mail

Secure wickets

8226; The sojourn of the India-Under 19 team in the World Cup at Dhaka came to an end on Sunday when it lost in the semi-finals to Pakistan by five wickets 8216;Indian Colts slip on the greens8217;, IE, March 1. Although the exit of the Indian team has filled our hearts with sadness, we should still be proud of the gritty performances in this tournament. This young team has shown that it has a good opening pair, some hard-hitting batsmen, promising bowlers and all-rounders and, above all, a genuine wicketkeeper. Some of these players will certainly prove themselves worthy of being included in the national team one day.

8212; V. Rajesh On e-mail