Shashi Tharoor is a Congress MP. He is the author of, among other titles, The Struggle for India’s Soul: Nationalism and the Fate of Democracy and Ambedkar: A Life
Congress must rejuvenate itself, bringing in fresh faces and young blood into its leadership at all levels. It would help if the party took steps to promote inner-party democracy and a more consultative decision-making style: Open up the party to internal elections for its key positions. Seek the views of a wide cross-section of party stalwarts, not just a favoured few. Allow and encourage the emergence of local, state and regional leaders, ratified by periodic votes of party members
TCA Raghavan is a former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and Singapore. His first book, Attendant Lords: Abdur Rahim and Bairam Khan: Courtiers and Poets in Mughal India, was awarded the Mohammad Habib Prize by the Indian History Congress. He is also the author of The People Next Door: The Curious History of India’s Relations with Pakistan and History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G S Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh and Their Quest for India’s Past. His latest book is Circles of Freedom: Love, Friendship and Loyalty in the Indian National Struggle