The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Last chance

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Thursday, Jul 10, 2008
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Last chance

This refers to the article “The Congress party’s last chance” (July 8). I agree that the Congress should use its opportunity, provided by the SP’s support to the UPA government led by it, to ensure the consolidation of the centrist democratic forces. The relevance of the Congress in Indian politics is not due to its glorious past; it is due to the fact that it is the most dominant centrist and nationalist political force with a pan-Indian presence. Over the years, the Congress has faced political decay, as a result of which the centrist liberal forces have got fragmented. Parties such as the NCP, the SP, the RJD, and the JD, liberal outfits with regional influence, are the natural allies of the Congress.

K.V. Ravindran,

Payyanur

* * *

Certainly, the Congress is a good choice in a polity that has been polarised between the extreme Left and the Right. But unfortunately, the frontrunner of the Indian national movement is struggling to find its feet in the political discourse due to lack of inner party democracy, appeasement — minority and majority — and lack of visionary leaders in many States. The enactment of the Right to Information Act and the NREGA, and the high budgetary allocation to the education sector and other pro-people schemes show that the Congress means well. But unless its policies translate into votes, everything will be rendered futile.

S. Anoop,

Idukki

* * *

The article is right in pointing out that the party failed to launch a nationwide campaign explaining to the people the reasons for going in for the nuclear deal with the U.S. Given that parties place full page ads in newspapers for such small events as the opening of a railway booking centre or a small rollover bridge, the failure to explain the nuclear deal to the people is indeed inexcusable. As a result, most people are ignorant about the nuances of the deal. While some think it is meant to favour the U.S., yet others feel it is anti-Muslim. Many people are not even aware that our existing atomic power plants are functioning far below their capacity.

V. Krishnamachari,

Mumbai

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Last chance

Dastardly indeed