With Rahul Gandhi firm on a non-Nehru Gandhi being made the president of the Congress party, the oldest political entity in the country is in turmoil. Just last Saturday, its highest decision making body — the — rejected his decision to step down as the numero uno of the party. Nevertheless, the task at hand is enormous, requiring all the guile and political one-upmanship in ressurrecting the party organisation, which is in a shambles.
There is discernible anguish in the party, which barely managed to improve its 2014 tally by a mere seven seats to 52 this time. For the second time in succession, the Congress faces the ignominy of not being officially recognised as the leader of the opposition in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The rule in this regard states that the party accorded recognition as the leader of the opposition should have at least one-tenth the strength of the House of the People. The Congress fell two short of that magic figure of 54.
Rahul’s frustration at the CWC meeting was apparent when he reportedly remarked that party leaders were busy trying to secure the victory of their own kith and kin. On Monday, the death anniversary of his great grandfather and the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, he warned the people to guard against dictatorship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desire for a “Congress-mukt Bharat” might be wishful thinking but there is no doubt it is no longer the force it used to be — at the forefront of the struggle for Independence. The question is: Can the party reinvent itself even if it means bidding adieu to dynasty politics, which appears far-fetched.
The all-powerful Congress high command calling the shots is dismayed that the party lacks leaders with a mass base in the states. Coupled with crass infighting, this has proved to be its bane, severely affecting its contact with the masses. Their workers on the ground have become disillusioned, insisting the central leadership has no connect with them or the realities on the ground.
Rahul’s defeat from the family pocketborough of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the state which sends 80 representatives to the Lok Sabha, brings to the fore the abject lack of enthusiasm and disconnect among the workers. The reason is not far to see — it is the lack of transparency in its style of functioning.
It has become necessary to conduct politics in a transparent manner rather than indulging in unaccountable power-wielding by political dynasts. It’s a pointer to developing and strengthening its outreach and organisational structures. It has become imperative for the Congress and other non-BJP opposition parties to face challenges upfront so that the BJP-led NDA is accountable.
For any reform to be successful, the organisation must ensure that decision-making is centralised, along with fixing accountability. Now that Rahul has said on Twitter that he is here to stay, the Congress is not capable of sustaining itself without a dynast. Several former ministers stressed it was necessary for Rahul to remain president at this critical juncture, so that the organisation does not disintegrate.
It is critical that the new leadership of the Congress emerges through a democratic process, as any half-hearted exercise is unlikely to strengthen the party. Though Congress-watchers find it difficult to detach the party from the dynasty, they believe it is not really unthinkable. A few of them opine that a dynasty-free Congress has the potential to provide a fresh dimension to the country’s polity. At the same time, they have expressed concern that a Congress-free polity can endanger the country’s democratic system.
Yet others with a soft corner for the Congress believe the party’s days are numbered if it does not move away from its ideological roots. Many are wondering if the party has become irrelevant in the present day and time. This has been attributed to the sycophantic attitude of the Congress leaders. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards in October 1984, the party could not think of anyone else but Rajiv
Gandhi. He, in turn, was killed by a woman suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, in 1991. The LTTE, a Sri Lankan militant organisation fighting for a Tamil homeland in the neighbouring island state, has since been crushed.
Barely two years ago, Rahul Gandhi was installed as the president of the Congress party and pitched as the Prime Ministerial opponent to Narendra Modi, who was growing from strength to strength. The BJP’s performance this time around has been overwhelming, with the party having crossed the rubicon of 300 on its own and along with its allies, gone past the 350-mark.
The Congress made a huge mistake by repeatedly taking the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ tack, which hopelessly backfired. The people saw in Modi a strong, decisive leader and voted for him to solve the country’s problems. The BJP government at the Centre has succeeded in receiving electoral endorsement for Hindu nationalism, which is bound to adversely effect the country’s pluralistic vision.
The decline of the Congress has seen the rise of smaller regional parties, which in turn, have broken away from the former. All of them are fighting for a larger political share. The Congress is itself to blame for the depressing situation that it finds itself in. Rahul has much to prove. Can he turn around the grand old party’s fortunes?
TR Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.
