Sonia146;s choice

8226; The so-called 8220;leaders8221; of BJP and its mindless allies have only managed to reiterate their com...

8226; The so-called 8220;leaders8221; of BJP and its mindless allies have only managed to reiterate their complete lack of maturity and basic understanding of democratic norms. With one neat move, Sonia Gandhi has taken the wind out of their tattered sails.
In a way, Sonia has done them a significant disservice: She has deprived them of the one-point agenda to revive a bewildered and not-so-shining-now party. As was there for all to see, on Tuesday evening George Fernandes could only mumble and put up a sorry-sounding, weak statement, calling her fickle. So, if Sonia is the prime minister, she is hankering for power and out to ruin India 8212; and if she is stepping away from power, she is fickle-minded! Amazing!

8212; Indranil Mukherjee On e-mail

8226; Did Sonia Gandhi step down from the race to be prime minister because her 8220;inner voice8221; suddenly told her to do so? Why did this 8220;voice8221; speak now, despite her being elected Congress Parliamentary Party leader and obtaining letters of support from all allied parties?

8212; Murty On e-mail

It8217;s her mandate

8226; I fully agree with your editorial 8216;Oppose, don8217;t distract8217; May 18. The entire civilised world has been admiring the broadmindedness of Indians for election a foreign-born person to lead their country. The petty-mindedness of the BJP agitation has negated everything now.

8212; Satish Rao On e-mail

8226; BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharati are not accepting the people8217;s mandate and, rather, are playing a destructive role.

8212; Subbu On e-mail

Action talks

8226; In rejecting the post of PM, Sonia Gandhi has, knowingly or otherwise, turned the tables on the BJP-led NDA, whose main objection was to her being appointed PM. She has also played to the gallery and painted a picture of herself as a selfless politician, interested only in the welfare of India. The Congress now has an opportunity to go around telling people what a great sacrifice Sonia has made! But the Congress should be warned; the Indian electorate has become too clever for these machinations and will only vote for the Congress-led alliance for the work that they would put in.

8212; G. Anand Mumbai

Manmohan8217;s way

8226; There are some striking similarities with the BJP/NDA in the challenges ahead for the Congress under Manmohan Singh. The issues on which both face opposition are reforms, dealings with the US and influence of fascists.
The Left will oppose the Congress in the first two just as the RSS did vis-a-vis the BJP. And the RSS opposes the BJP in getting rid of Narendra Modi and his ilk. In the Congress too, many leaders associated with the Sikh riots have won the Lok Sabha elections. Manmohan Singh should set an example by imposing president8217;s rule in Gujarat and forcing the two worthies from Delhi to resign their seats. Now that Manmohan Singh is at the helm, I feel confident that he will overcome the opposition by his genial nature, persuasive qualities, outstanding calibre and credible leadership.

8212; S.C.N. Jatar Pune