CWC meet on June 4

CWC will be meeting on June 4 to discuss party matters and also to lay down the roadmap for assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh this year and some more states next year. Congress is faced with a serious challenge in many states and its debacle in recent assembly elections in UP, Punjab and Goa has made it think seriously what has gone amiss. Congress chairman Sonia Gandhi in her post- assembly election speech pinpointed factionalism and disunity among the workers as the main reason for its defeat in assembly elections in some states. But that is not the end of the story. She should have referred to policy matters as well and clarified for the party workers where the problem lay. The party has many skeletons in its cupboard. Its inability to take on the practices of corruption, inability to check rising prices, allowing proliferation of nepotism and other failures had a cumulative effect that led to the rejection of the party in some states especially the UP. It is hoped that in the forthcoming CWC deliberations there will be threadbare discussion of these issues and others as well and the Congress, after receiving a shaking will chalk out and reinforce its national image. Moreover the party should spend more energy in educating the people in its new developmental plans and schemes rather than embark on a vilification campaign against its political rivals. People judge a party by the work it does on the ground.

Mailbag

Shrinking parking space

Sir,
With the unchecked sale of cars, there is a deluge of vehicles on the roads of private vehicles The cars can be seen parked in every street here and there and on roads randomly.The said pattern of parking hardly leaves any space to passby for genuine plyers.Such parking is however unavoidable in the absense of genuine parking spaces.The parking lots are either small or not availble at all,at the same time parking spaces can not be created everywhere.The attempts on the part of city bodies to create parking always falls short for the number of vehicles released every day.New models and designs keep on coming and buyers try hand at one or the other irrespective of their requirement or use.At some palces the cars are seen parked untouched and unmoved for days together creating all types of difficulties and hinderances for the commuters. Much flow of public money is perhaps a big factor for increased number of private vehicles. Lucrative loans advocated by fanancial institutions add to the number of private vehicles tremendously. The need of the day is to address the issue by keeping control on the sale /release of cars.To overcome this problem, some of the remedial measures that come to mind are: buyers should provide proof of having parking space before owning a car,only income tax payers can purchase,driving licence holder can be allowed to go for cars,else the commercial transport be made comfortable and time bound ,so that people dispense with buying the cars. New trend of having one small car for city driving conditions in addition to luxury one is presently in vogue. Some thing ought to be done before the said problem worsens and takes alarming proportions and the system comes to a halt.
Yours etc…
Ravi Gandotra
18/2, Indira Nagar Udhampurr

Tribute to Tagore
Sir,
This has reference to the news item ‘Natrang’s series of 10 shows on Tagore concludes’ DE May 28.
The Dogri play ‘Suno Tagore Di’ which was staged at different districts of Jammu region is a tribute to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The poet whose message of universal brotherhood and peace travelled across various shores of the world is loved and respected not only for works in literary field but as a human being. People like Rabindranath Tagore is once in a thousand year phenomenon.
But at the same time it is also true that most of the people in this country, particularly people living in rural areas and who are illiterate have not got a dose of teaching of this great Guru.
The plays that have been staged though limited by various constraints have played their part in spreading the message of the great poet from one part of the State to another. One wishes that such plays should have been conducted in all the languages of the State and in all the three provinces of the State. This would have created a mass audience for Tagore’s message.
The Natrang group deserves all the praise for this work.
Yours etc…
Akshay Kumar
Ramban

Interlocutors report
Sir,
The Interlocutors report has generated animated discussions and debates in the country, particularly in the State. It has drawn flak from almost all stake holders for not considering their view points in the way they desired.
At the outset it may be said that the interlocutors had to deal not with one issue but so many complex issues that are still to stay here and have eluded a solution so far. To expect a miraculous solution to this vexed problem in mere 172 pages of the report submitted by the interlocutors is tantamount to being harsh to them.
The interlocutors have started a process, and this process may see many throughs and crusts before it steadies itself and assumes a smooth trajectory to reach its goal. To find a solution to the Kashmir problem is a painstaking job. It requires patience, motivation and above all a political will to do so.
Girdhari Lal
Samba