The UPA government has decided to withdraw the ordinance on convicted MPs/MLAs thanks to Rahul Gandhi’s “nonsense” speech. One wonders whether the outcome would have been the same had any other Congress MP done what Rahul did. Rahul is only one of the many Congress MPs. Is the government run by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister or an MP who happens to be the vice-president and son of the Congress president?
J. Nagasubramanian,Chennai
Whatever is said about the ordinance withdrawal, the dignified manner in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handled the issue deserves praise. Although the withdrawal of the ordinance is welcome, Rahul could have handled it better. He has provided an opportunity to the Opposition to criticise the government and the Prime Minister. We have to wait and see whether Rahul will continue to barge in at meetings to air his views or assume the mantle of the party’s leadership as a mature prime ministerial candidate.
G. Venkatakuppuswamy,Bangalore
Had any other Congress leader barged into the press meet conducted by the official Congress spokesperson and made such a hard-hitting statement against the ordinance, he or she would have been dismissed from the party. By withdrawing the ordinance cleared by the Cabinet and the party’s core committee, the government has proved that there are only two positions in the Congress party — number one and number two.
S. Kannaki,Sullurpeta
I sometimes wonder what our politicians think of us. The UPA government first rushed to pass an ordinance to protect convicted politicians. When the Prime Minister was on a foreign visit and unavailable for comments, the nation’s dear son Rahul Gandhi stepped in to say the ordinance was “nonsense.” His mother then said: “We are with the PM.” The truth is Manmohan Singh’s tenure is coming to an end and the Congress loses nothing by sidelining him. The next in line, the prime ministerial candidate, has to be portrayed as an epitome of morality.
Pranusha Manthri,New Delhi
The big farce on the ordinance has ended with the Cabinet agreeing to withdraw it. The UPA government wanted to feel the pulse of Parliament and the people, which is why the ordinance was cleared. The BJP and other parties opposed it and the President asked the Home Minister and the Law Minister to explain the need for the ordinance. Sensing trouble, Rahul opposed it publicly. Now, after a farcical Cabinet meet, the ordinance stands withdrawn.
M.M. Kale,Kakinada
This refers to Dr. Singh’s declaration that he wouldn’t quit over Rahul Gandhi’s outburst on the ordinance. Resignation at the drop of a hat is hardly a solution to problems. There is place for dissidence in a democracy — the stronger a democracy, the louder the voice of dissent.
T. Prabakar,Chennai
The ordinance episode started with the intent to save Lalu Prasad. With the BJP’s petition to the President and his queries on the ordinance, the issue took a turn. This script is now all too familiar, wherein Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi take the credit for everything positive that happens in the UPA government, and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet contend with the negative fallout. The end of the story is along predictable lines — the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as the no-nonsense hero of young India standing up against the old order.
Hitesh Kumar Waghray,Hyderabad
