As political spectacles go, the recently concluded two-day Congress session in Ahmedabad was undoubtedly a success. Held on the banks of the Sabarmati, the event carried strong symbolic value. It coincided with the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi assuming the presidency of the Indian National Congress.
The setting was picturesque, the mood reflective, and the party leadership in full attendance. The speeches were fiery, the resolutions firm. Sachin Pilot’s political resolution found wide resonance, with leaders like Shashi Tharoor lending it vocal support.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s blunt message, that those clinging to posts without doing any work should vacate them, drew applause. But who is unaware that such calls are often rhetorical and rarely acted upon? For years now, the Congress has been accused of being a party of careerists and influence-peddlers, far removed from the ideals of democracy, inclusion, and grassroots mobilisation that once defined it.
Still, for a party long in search of momentum, the Ahmedabad session was a morale booster. Yet, there lies the danger: mistaking symbolic successes for substantive gains. Speeches and resolutions won’t revive the Congress unless they translate into ground-level action, especially as the political calendar is packed with high-stakes contests — Bihar before November, followed by Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
In contrast, the next Gujarat Assembly election is two years away. Though the INDIA alliance surprised many in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi trailing behind the Congress in the initial round in Varanasi, the alliance has since faltered.
It failed to make a mark in Haryana and Maharashtra, where the BJP managed to retain power, and in Delhi, where most Congress candidates lost their deposits. With Mumbai’s civic elections around the corner, the Congress has yet to prove it still matters after its poor showing in the Assembly polls.
The party’s rejuvenation remains more an aspiration than a plan. Sonia Gandhi’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha was seen by many as a missed opportunity to promote younger leadership. The taste of the pudding, after all, is in the eating.
While the BJP continues to wield its political arsenal, often resorting to divisive tactics, whether on Waqf issues or attempts to marginalise the Opposition in Parliament, the Congress needs more than grand gestures and nostalgia.
It must ask the hard questions and act decisively if it wants to be a serious contender in 2029. Symbolism, no matter how powerful, must give way to strategy, discipline, and mass connect, the very elements that once made the Congress the natural party of governance in India.
