When the government in Arunachal Pradesh was formed under Pema Khandu, all believed that the Congress had finally won the seesaw political battle and recuperated from the crisis within the party. It’s clearly a short-lived one. Despite the BJP’s assertions, the perception that the Centre is unwilling to cooperate with States in which it is not in power has only been strengthened (“No hand in Arunachal U-turn, claims BJP”, Sept. 18). In a border State like Arunachal Pradesh, there must be a stable government.
Md. Mobbashir Farid,
Gaya, Bihar
The development in Arunachal makes a mockery of the election process and is the equivalent of perpetrating a fraud on the people who voted for the politicians in question. It is shocking that they had no qualms in shifting allegiance overnight which probably reflects a new trend in regional politics. The “crossing the floor” formula should not be made so easy and that too twice. It becomes incumbent on the Election Commission to amend the rules to incorporate a cooling off period of two years in order to prevent horse trading. The other alternative is to countermand the election and hold a repoll. Mr. Khandu’s move justifying it on the need for better ties with the Centre is ludicrous.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi
The leadership of the Indian National Congress party has to be blamed for failing to rebuild its standing among its rank and file. Neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi have taken steps to protect the party’s base from crumbling after a string of electoral defeats. A lack of political vision and direction, inefficacy in assessing situations, and a failure to re-strategise and restructure the party from the grass-root have led to mass defections and shifting of allegiances. How does the party expect to regain voter trust when it is unable to keep its flock together?
N. Visveswaran,
Chennai
