Sir — In the recently held lok Sabha election, the Congress was decimated beyond recognition. So much so that the Congress could win just 44 seats out of 543, not sufficient even to be recognised as the official opposition party. Congress sympathisers and various intellectuals are, as usual, engaged in hair-splitting. Instead of trying to appeal for gaining an Opposition party status, the Congress should be spending more time in analysing what went wrong with it.
One reason is clearly the lacklustre leadership of Mr Manmohan Singh. The second is the various scams that happened under his very nose and his failure to tackle them. The third is the interference by the Nehru-Gandhi family in day-to-day functioning of the Government. The fourth is the failed leadership of Ms Sonia Gandhi and Mr Rahul Gandhi.
In fact, the duo has, since 2009, led the party to one defeat after the other in elections to States. The debacle in the general election was, therefore, waiting to happen. The Congress must realise that the family name does not sell anymore.
The Nehru-Gandhis may still have won their seats, but they could not help their party candidates to do so. Only those Congress leaders who can build a mass base without depending on the doles of the family will be able to survive.