Opinion Letters to the Editor: Wait and watch
We need to strive harder to make inequality a political issue.
The 2014 general election results are historic — both for the BJP and the Congress, though for different reasons. Whereas the Congress failed to provide able leadership or address the issues of corruption and the growing cost of living, the BJP under Narendra Modi understood the people’s mood and, therefore, got its mandate. While the blame for the worst ever failure of the Congress goes to Rahul Gandhi and his lack of vision, the credit for the victory of the BJP goes mainly to Modi. He raised the issues of the governance deficit and growing corruption, and promised to give people a better standard of living. The lackadaisical attitude towards issues of public concern and the incoherence within its party structure led the Congress to this historical defeat. Whether or not the BJP under Modi delivers its promises and fulfils people’s expectations will be seen in days to come. — Manzar Imam (Delhi)
No opposition
The Congress party’s failure to get even 50 seats in the Lok Sabha is embarrassing. Though the BJP was expected to win, the total decimation of the Congress is unexpected. The Congress may not even get designated as the official opposition. While Modi’s win is impressive, the Congress needs to get up, dust off, and regroup. It needs to move on and forget this as one would a bad dream. — Ramani Subbu (Mumbai)
Epic fail
The results of the Lok Sabha elections are sufficient proof that Rahul Gandhi is not tailored to excel in politics. During the past 10 years, he could neither reform the internal structure of the party nor did he play an active role in government. The luxury of enjoying authority without responsibility cannot endure indefinitely. Unfortunately, his advisors also seem to lack political insight. All told, he has done his party more harm than good. It is time for Gandhi to take a break and make way for other more competent leaders. Or maybe he can hone his skills by playing the role of a good, active member of opposition. — S.C. Vaid (Noida)
Political non-issue
This refers to ‘Reading Piketty in India’ by Martin Ravallion (IE, May 15). Even as inequality grows, people at the bottom of the scale in India don’t seem bothered by it. Perhaps it is because absolute deprivation is so terrible here. As the economy grows, deprivation decreases even if inequality doesn’t. We need to strive harder to make inequality a political issue. — Abhishek Kumar (Lohardaga)
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