PICTURE SPEAK

"Couple at Odds", May 16

"If Sonia Gandhi wants to interfere in governance she should have become PM herself. Since she has nominated Manmohan Singh she should let him work independently."

Asha Gawri, on e-mail

On Collision Course

In 1969 when the organisational leadership of the Congress tried to clip the wings of prime minister Indira Gandhi, it failed miserably ("Couple at Odds", May 16). It was because by then she had formed a direct rapport with the people and the organisation had become irrelevant. If Manmohan Singh gets one more hassle-free year, history may repeat itself.

D.S. Kanade, Pune

The differences between the Congress party and the Government are undermining the good steps of appointing people like Manmohan and P. Chidambaram to top posts. It is no use having such intelligent and qualified people in the Government if they cannot take their own decisions.

Anurag Khanna, on e-mail

Manmohan is no puppet on a string. He is a man with a strong personality. Unlike most politicians who like to wear their influence on their sleeves the prime minister does not flaunt his power.

V. Venkataraman, on e-mail

Manmohan is hemmed in by Congress leaders on one hand and the Left on the other. Both of them are doing this without having to answer to the public for the performance of the Government, with the result that the prime minister cannot take decisions he thinks are good for the country. He needs to stand up to these pressures and be bold enough to set high standards for his ministers.

Brij M. Aghi, on e-mail

The Congress party, as it functions today, represents neither the masses nor its aspirations. It has no future unless it sheds its dependence on the Gandhi family and makes the party more people-friendly.

S.S. Rajagopalan, Chennai

By refusing to accept the post of prime minister Sonia Gandhi had created the impression that she was above power games. However, that belief has been shattered. India has rarely had a decent person like Manmohan as prime minister. Going by the current situation, it would be advisable for him to resign before the UPA is labelled as the "Unmoved by People's Agonies" government.

P.K. Srivastava, Ghaziabad

If Manmohan wants to save the reputation he has built over several decades, he should resign. It is beneath him to play second fiddle to the likes of Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel.

P.S. Sundaram, on e-mail

Some nations in our neighbourhood are ruled by dictators but at least they do not pretend to be democracies. After reading your story I have come to the conclusion that we are also ruled by a dictator who remains behind the scenes. Sonia's loyalists are the ones who seem to be calling the shots and depriving us of good governance in the bargain.

Ranjana Manchanda, on e-mail

The relationship between the Congress president and the prime minister calls to mind the scenario in a family-controlled business house that has a professional CEO. The CEO is the public face, showcasing modernity in the traditional set-up, but there is also a parallel chain of command, with underlings taking cues from the owner and forever undermining the nominal CEO.

Bishan Sahai, on e-mail

Politics has never been Manmohan's forte. He is only concerned with the maximum benefit of society. It is Sonia's confrontationist attitude that is ruining the credibility of the Government and is taking the sheen out of the prime minister's laudable initiatives.

Partha Sarathi Banerjee, Kolkata

The Government will last as long as the Congress wants it to. Manmohan faces the unenviable challenge of surviving Congressism.

Arjyalopa Mishra, Cuttack

Your story clearly indicates that the post of the prime minister has been reduced to a rubber stamp. This system has been brought about by the Congress with active involvement of 10 Janpath.

nilabh srivastava, on e-mail

Family Circle

With the launch of his new party K. Karunakaran has proved that his family will remain his chief concern ("The Father of All Battles", May 16). His efforts to have an understanding with the Left indicates his lack of confidence in formulating the "real Congress".

JIJI JOHN THOMAS, Thiruvalla

Confused Creativity

Isn't it surprising that a country that has produced a bevy of beauties who have won international pageants is not on the world fashion map ("India in Fashion", May 9)? Perhaps it has a lot to do with our sensibilities. Our designers still ape the West blindly, mixing and matching in the motley garb of creativity. No wonder they are still not in a position to seriously challenge the czars of haute couture.

Jinu Mathew, on e-mail

DISCORDANT VOICES

The blatant disregard towards the participation of women in drafting the nikahnama itself projects the futility of the entire exercise ("Still Under the Veil", May 16). According to the Koran women are equal to men in the eyes of God in terms of rights and responsibilities. Then why does this bias still exist? Sabaresh Kumar T., on e-mail The spat some time ago between the AIMPLB's president and vice-president over family planning for Muslims gives credence to the view that this is a body of self-serving people. Yet, over time, it has become larger than life. It is time the Government got tough with the self-appointed denizens of Muslims' collective expression.. J. VANI, Mysore

Old Issue

A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani have had their innings and have played fairly well ("After Advani Who?" May 9). But now they should retire gracefully. G.B. Shaw once said, "Man can climb to the highest summits, but he cannot dwell there long." The gerontocracy should give way to the younger generation.

F.S.K. Barar, on e-mail

Even though the BJP leaders are adept in their respective areas, the party lacks cohesion. They should try to resolve their differences so that the bjp has a good chance of winning the next general elections.

Soumya P. Udayan, Ernakulam

Recommending Change

The people of India have been betrayed by successive governments which sold them dreams of improving the ground conditions by setting up various panels "Committee Raj", May 9). Most of the recommendations are given a silent burial and disappear without any trace and crores of rupees are wasted. The upa Government's committee formation spree is another funeral in the making.

Vitull K. Gupta, Bhatinda

After reading about the various committees formed in just 11 months, I feel there is one committee which still needs to be set up-a committee to monitor all these committees.

Amit Loiwal, Dubai

If so many committees have already been formed by the Government, there should be no problem in getting rid of all ministries entirely. This way when a certain issue needs to be addressed, a committee comprising qualified experts can be set up and given the power to implement their recommendations, rather than making reports and waiting for ministries to act on them.

Nikhil Sheth, Pune

Among the many committees and task forces listed in the article, my name appears as chairperson of the Committee for Kashmiri Migrants, which was set up on December 2, 2004. I wish to clarify that although my name had initially been suggested for the chairperson by the PMO, I had declined to take up the assignment as I was due to retire on December 31, 2004.

Kasturi Gupta Menon, Former principal adviser, Planning Commission

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