Rahul bows out
Rahul Gandhi’s resignation as Congress president is a rare instance of a leader accepting responsibility for his party’s defeat in elections (Page 1, “Rahul Gandhi formally quits as party chief, makes letter public,” July 4). The fact that his party won 19% of the national vote share attests to its political relevance. The need of the hour for the party is to choose a strong successor to Mr. Gandhi, someone who can help Congress regain the trust of the voters. Indira Gandhi lost the 1977 election following the Emergency, but made a strong comeback in 1980 by winning back the people’s confidence. Mr. Gandhi’s successor can take a leaf out of Mrs. Gandhi’s book.
Jayant Mukherjee,
Kolkata
The Congress should learn to sail through difficult times even without a captain from the Nehru-Gandhi family. It should go back to the leadership system it followed in the pre-Independence period, by electing presidents for a year and conducting sessions in different parts of the country. The party should stand for the principles of truth and non-violence. The next president should also put all his efforts to bring back the breakaway parties like Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the YSR Congress Party back into the Congress’s fold. Finally, it should utilise the popularity of Mr. Gandhi to consolidate its presence across the country.
K. Muhammed Ismayil,
Koduvally, Kerala
Petition to EC
It is laudable that a group of former senior civil servants have listed out serious irregularities in the conduct of the 2019 elections (News page, “Ex-officials cast doubt on poll result,” July 4). The common man was a witness to blatant violations of the Model Code of Conduct by leaders and parties, transgressions ignored by the Election Commission. The poll body also did not make public the dissenting opinion of Ashok Lavasa. However, one wonders whether the petitioners can expect an honest reply from the EC.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
Rayudu retires
Ambati Rayadu’s decision to retire, after being snubbed twice for the World Cup, does not come as a surprise. Mr. Rayadu, a reliable middle-order batsman, was all along tipped to fill the crucial No. 4 spot in the team and should have found a place in the original squad. But it was shocking that he was not considered even after two players got injured. Of course, he is not the first victim of the cricketing body’s whimsical selection process and, one fears, he will not be the last either.
N. Viswanathan,
Coimbatore
