The Congress quagmire

Rather than initiate concerted time-bound steps aimed at its organisational revamp and address the leadership vacuum, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and its members have once again reaffirmed its faith in the Gandhi family during the recently held CWC meeting, which was held to take stock of the recent Assembly polls debacle.

There were no indications from the CWC meeting about an introspection from the present leadership about the challenges confronting the party. With series of electoral defeats since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and no worthwhile corrective steps from the party leadership, the Congress is now staring at an existential crisis. It is time Congress took a serious note of its unprecedented decline and disconnect with the voters and usher in revolutionary measures aimed at its robust revival.

M Jeyaram

Sholavandan (TN)

For the Congress the consultative process had long become alien. Succession planning has been abandoned and even as its President offers to let go off the reins yet again. Living on past reputation it neglected its daily political homework.

Pedigree accumulated over many decades by the Congress may yet help it climb back from its nadir. It needs the will and courage to embrace change to assemble afresh the party nucleus charged with a new vision. It must imbibe the spirit of the parvenu AAP, that scripted a fetching narrative to great success with neither a vast cadre nor a war chest.

R Narayanan

Navi Mumbai

Petro products pain

This refers to the news report, "No excise duty cut on petrol/diesel for now", (March 14). Brent crude prices retreating from $139 a barrel to below $110 should come as a sigh of relief for the government, which is in a quandary on whether to let the fuel prices go up or take a hit on revenue by maintaining the current prices.

The government has not changed fuel prices after November 4, 2021 perhaps in view of the Assembly polls.

While the US and UK have announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, most European countries are not playing ball with them. The surge in Covid cases in some parts of the world is also keeping global oil prices in check despite geopolitical uncertainties.

Given these realities and the fact that the government has seen robust tax revenue growth in the current financial year, it should not burden the common man with another fuel price hike. It should instead cut the excise duty to give relief to the public.

An excise duty cut would also help reduce inflationary pressure in the economy.

N Sadhasiva Reddy,

Bengaluru

Dealing with ‘black swans’

This refers to “How India can deal with black swans” (March 14). As Albert Einstein once said “In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”, countries have encountered different types of crisis from economic, financial, technological to health.

Before it could recover from the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war has put the world economy into ‘deep freeze’ providing an opportunity to countries like India to introspect on the way forward. The galloping crude oil price will take a heavy toll on India’s import bill, but it also provides an opportunity to look at areas of strength, which is the export of ‘invisibles’.

India has a thriving business process outsourcing industry offering back office services in areas like software, banking, insurance, medicine, consultancy etc. India should harness its strength in developing BPO industry.

To counter India’s reliance on crude oil, it is time to concentrate on low carbon energy areas. It is also time for India to develop alternate communication sources to do trade with Russia.

Srinivasan Velamur

Chennai