State of the Congress
The Congress faces a crisis as winning an election and forming the government seems to be in the past now. In such a situation, it needs to act prudently at least to save the handful of States it rules. In Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh commands the respect of the people. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s stand will harm the government and the party too. If Mr. Sidhu is genuinely interested in the party retaining power in Punjab, he should have settled the issue amicably with the Chief Minister. Despite past experiences, the Congress high command is still in a learning stage when it comes to sorting out differences between powerful leaders in States under its control (Inside pages, “Sonia’s move comes despite unease among Punjab MLA’s”, July 19).
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
Noon meals
It is encouraging to read that girls who had access to free lunches at government schools, later had children with a higher height-to-age ratio than those who did not (Page 1, July 19). Can we hope that food and education advocates will find a way out to ensure the continued supply of nutritional midday meals for children hailing from poor economic backgrounds till schools reopen? Localised distribution/supply of meals under the guidance and leadership of local body representatives can be thought of.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Malippara, Kothamangalam, Kerala
