I write to you in reference to Samanth Subramanian's article The Indian National Congress faces an uncertain post-Gandhi future (July 31).
This meaningful and thought-provoking piece has shed light on the challenges of the Indian National Congress, which has been weakened by a leadership vacuum.
Congress is a well-respected party because of its history: the party fought for India to become a free independent country. But because it has been dominated by one family, the Gandhis, for decades on end, its leadership is now weak.
After the latest Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi faced a crushing defeat and had to resign from his position as party leader.
Despite his resignation, no serious contenders for the Congress leadership have come forward. This suggests that the new leader of the party will probably come from the Gandhi family. Perhaps the position will even go back to Rahul Gandhi.
The party is losing its good reputation because its leadership cannot be trusted and has been marred by corruption and nepotism.
It will be a tough challenge for Congress to choose a new leader who can revive the party and bring it back to its former glory.
The ball is now in Congress’s court but the question remains: will the party finally change its reliance on dynasty politics?
K Ragavan, Bengaluru
My heart goes out to families of El Paso shooting victims
I refer to your news report El Paso shooting: 20 people killed at mall in Texas border town (August 4).
These recurring gun attacks are part of an alarming trend. American youth are embroiled in a dangerous gun culture.
The suspected shooter of the El Paso attack was identified as a 21-year old male. It highlights the fact there is growing concern about angry youngsters who resort to extremist ideology to wreak havoc on communities.
This is especially worrying as gun violence soars in the US. Denouncing such acts of aggression is not enough to stop the bloodshed.
Concrete action is needed to prevent further attacks and keep extremist ideologies from spreading.
The US needs to tackle its brutal gun culture before more people lose their lives.
Ramachandran Nair, Muscat
Dubai should explore new ways to decongest its roads
I write to you in reference to your article Dubai on the move as 1.6 million public transport trips taken per day (August 3).
One solution could be introducing a 24-hour metro system in Dubai.
This would surely encourage people to ditch their cars and use public transports.
Rashed Al Kawari, Dubai
