Letters: Reviving Congress

With reference to "Our 10, Drowning St" (June 18), Shekhar Gupta beautifully articulated what might cause the death of the grand old party - the Congress. Running a political party, or for that matter even the nation, has a lot of similarities with the running of a business conglomerate.

Just as a corporation has its headquarters (HQ) with business and functional heads as well as zonal/branch managers and sales representatives, a political party, too, has a central set-up and those in the states.

No company can hope to grow and prosper if those in the HQ are not in constant connect with the set-up in every branch - the people close to where the action is and who know pulse of the market. It is also essential that there are frequent transfers of people at the HQ to branches and vice-versa.

That's the only way a company can remain vibrant and keep its team connected and inspired. You can't afford to treat the branches as "colonial outposts" with no say in the overall strategy of the corporate and without all of them feeling "involved and connected". Any company that does that will soon be left behind by the more agile competition. They wouldn't even know what hit them.

The Congress is making a big mistake by not consulting and involving its people in the states. Cherry-picking favourites from states without due consultation would obviously demoralise the set-up and ultimately make those people "unwanted and unrecognised". There is "life" still and some good people in the old party. A "field marshal" has to take charge and enthuse the battalions and "field commanders". The nation needs a viable and strong Opposition to keep the ruling party - however good its work - on its toes.

Krishan Kalra, Gurgaon

Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number