Letter.

Letter Published in The National UAE on 6 Aug 19 Congress needs new blood and an end to dynasty politics  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