Change in Punjab
Amarinder Singh stepping down as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday is nothing short of a dramatic move by the ‘people’s maharaja’ (Page 1, “Amarinder quits amid turmoil in Cong.”, September 19). The writing was on the wall when the younger Gandhis appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the State party chief. On the whole, the developments in Punjab must make the Bharatiya Janata Party rub its hands in glee.
N.J. Ravi Chander,
Bengaluru
The proverb, it never rains but it pours, sums up the crisis in the Grand Old Party (GOP). With the exit of Captain Amarinder along with existing problems in the Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh party units, also compounded by the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia, the writing is on the wall. The GOP is in deep trouble. It is rather disturbing to realise the Indian National Congress (INC), nourished and brought up by the greatest stalwarts, patriots of exceptional calibre, is moving toward a state of oblivion. There is hardly any need now for the BJP to keep citing the phrase “Congress Mukt Bharat” when the INC is presenting on a platter reasons for the Bharatiya Janata Party to continue its rule. It is disappointing that vested interests are calling the shots in the principal Opposition party, totally demoralising its grass-root workers. When will the party realise the need to set its house in order before making futile attempts to challenge the Narendra Modi regime?
S. Seshadri,
Chennai
The Congress is in power in only a handful of States and the development comes as a tragedy at a time when there is turmoil in every State it controls. That the dissenting Assembly members have suddenly found out at the fag end of the party’s term the presence of unfulfilled election promises is strange. Considering the administrative experience of Amarinder Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu or any other leader cannot do justice to the post. Criticisms against the policies of the BJP government will not be effective unless the Congress manages to sort out its troubles. It is pathetic that the national Opposition party is being run by an interim party president which makes other leaders and party workers lose confidence.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
The inability of the Grand Old party to keep its flock together is glaring. It is disappointing to see the Congress party failing to honour the people’s mandate in various States as a result of factionalism. The ‘tall leadership’ of the party is in slumber as far as maintaining a coherent leadership is concerned. The Congress is charting a course of its disintegration.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan,
Tiruchi
Capt. Amarinder Singh is ready to salute but is definitely not prepared to kowtow to incompetent people. He did as much good for the State of Punjab as he possibly could. A disciplined military person like Capt. Amarinder could not have swum for long in a cesspool of politics. A lion has been made to vacate the throne to make way for a circus.
M.R. Anand,
Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
Harmony in Kerala
It is rare to find the kind of religious cohesion one has in Kerala anywhere else in the country. The cent percent educated population speaking the same one language yet tragically falling prey to divisive forces must be reversed. Nothing must disturb this cohesion (Editorial page, “A dark cloud in Kerala’s sky of communal harmony”, September 18). Keralites themselves need to restore harmony.
Mohammed Ikramulla,
Hyderabad
Exit Ford
The decision of American car maker Ford to close its manufacturing base in India is a bolt from the blue — to its customers, employees and dealers. It is a matter of concern that the plants which helped the manufacturer establish a niche for itself may stop. Ford’s exit from the Indian market is also a huge loss for Chennai, the Detroit of India.
Rajamani Chelladurai,
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
