Congress president Sonia Gandhi talked about BJP’s strategy for polarization of the country and its attempt to deflect attention from real issues. But the big question – what the Congress is doing to resist it. Its own credibility is so badly eroded that people now look at each of its moves with suspicion. The crisis in Congress is actually a crisis of credibility.
Veteran Kapil Sibbal’s departure from the Congress came as no surprise. He was leading the rebel group within the party and seeking reforms, a move that did not go down well with the Gandhis and their followers. But with Sibbal quitting the party and filing his Rajya Sabha nomination with Samajwadi Party support it is clear that the Grand Old party of India is on its last legs. There could be more resignations in the coming days and problems of the party could multiply even in the states where it rules.
The “Chintan Shivir” jamboree of Congressmen organized by the leadership at Udaipur to brainstorm on issues plaguing the party failed to produce any encouraging results. It was supposed to be a soul searching exercise and chalk out the path of revival. But in the end it proved to be nothing more than just another meeting without any effort to usher in radical changes. The main agenda, instead of looking in and finding ways of reviving the party appeared to be absolving the party’s high command of the responsibility for all the electoral debacles in the recent past.
According to some inside accounts there was hardly any attempt at bringing leaders and workers of the party closer and Rahul Gandhi seemed as aloof and reluctant to connect with his party workers as he has ever been. The party has apparently made peace with its present plight with status quoits in a majority. There was even no attempt to discuss and plan popular movements on the issues plaguing the nation.
The decision on Bharat Jodo Yatra, starting October 2, was a consolation for leaders seriously worried about the present state of the party. It would be a 3,500-km rally to create awareness about the BJP’s game plan and how the country was suffering because of the policies of the present government at the Centre. On the face of it this seems to be a good move but everything would depend upon how it is executed. Properly done it could be as successful as Chandrashekhar’s padyatra across the country and Advani’s Rath Yatra. It could then galvanize the demoralized Congress cadre. But given the party leadership’s proneness to gaffes it could also end up as embarrassment for the party.
One of the major issues discussed at the Chintan Shivir was polarization of the country. Congress president Sonia Gandhi talked about it in her speech saying that it was part of ruling party’s strategy to deflect attention from real issues. While she may be right the big question is what is the Congress is doing to resist it. Its own credibility is so badly eroded that people now look at each of its moves with suspicion. The crisis in Congress is actually a crisis of credibility. In order to overcome this crisis the party needs to change its tactics and follow the culture of rewarding leaders on the basis of merit instead of loyalty to the Gandhis only.
