Jubilee Post News & Views
KP Singh
For the Congress the time is full of challenges. The recent Delhi election result has given a new power in middle class politics. The Aam Admi Party has been successful in breaking the phenomenon that despite the common belief that BJP’s alternative isn’t there despite their (BJP) failure to run the government and there will be no alternative for the next couple of years.
In the previous elections too AAP had swiped out BJP. But then their victory had limited scope. It was BJP that had done mistakes despite its knowledge.
The Delhi elections have established that BJP can be defeated instantly also but the rider is that a strong alternative should be in place. The APP has turned the wave in to its favour keeping this in view. In such circumstances once again is trying to bring back Rahul as party president which can ultimately put Sonia in to trouble.
When Narendra Modi came in to national politics he directly targeted the central point in Congress party and gave a slogan for ‘Congress mukt Bharat’ (Congress free India). The family was the remained the main source of energy for the party and despite party getting old it remains energy source. For the BJP it was not easy to sit on the throne without eliminating the Congress as a national party.
The Congress family regime was no problem for the country but the Sangh made Modi and Yogi politicians and surrounded the entire existence of the Congress. Rahul tried to reply and said that family politics was not just in the Congress and his statement had reference from the Indian society in the past. He had stated that even the BJP is not free from it.
But family politics ultimately came in to the fore and at present the factors opposing Congress have family politics as a key factor. Though the BJP leaders too are facing trouble who wanted to push their wards in to politics not just their sons and daughters, but their grandchildren too.
Rahul’s personality is one factor that has given rise to allergy from family politics. Sonia had always been under pressure to bring Priyanka Gandhi at the front of the party politics but Sonia proved she had transformed herself in to the real avatar of an Indian woman after coming to the country. Hence it did not became her style to promote daughter instead of her son in politics.
Rahul is honest but his mind is not political. In fact the kind of sharpness and wittiness required to face Modi is not with Rahul. This is the reason why Rahul’s image as ‘Pappu’ could be framed by Modi and company. Rahul does not realise the nerve of the public.
He fails while picking up issues and in keeping its relevance among public. If for once he starts the issue of love vs. politics he will play the same tune for long irrespective of whether anyone is listening to it or not.
A politicians should be frank and ruthless and when power remains in his mind at the top he will fight with the pledge to win. Modi has a very high desire for this. On the other hand Rahul has opposite sentiments.
In 2019 elections after the defeat the Congress party was expecting moral support but Rahu left them. The party insisted Rahul should not leave the post of party president but Rahul did not paid any heed.
There was no drama behind Rahul’s decision to leave party president post hence it was difficult to convince them not to do so. Even then the party waited for long, after accepting his resignation that he may change his mind and make a come back.
When Rahul kept his stand firm his mother Sonia was made the interim president. The party has a feeling that Rahul left them in the middle of the things. The feelings that came up among partymen unknowingly has now come to fore.
There have been changed in the party internally and hence Sonia’s wish that Rahul should once again take the reigns of the party that has virtually become a property of the Nehru-Gandhi family. It is said she has got the consent of Rahul on this.
Now the party is not ready to accept this in one go. Shashi Tahroor and Sandip Dixit have come forward but those who have not will also not accept this race of chair which has been made a family skit.
The entire party is fed up with the recklessness of Rahul and want the party leadership should not be handed over once again. But majority of the top leaders are in double-mind. But this double-mind thing is not only seen in Congress. In the BJP toot his was seen during the Atal-Advani era.
Then the Sangh had made all senior and elderly leaders retire and brought Modi the state-level leader from Gujarat for a fresh start. They party thought this will turn in to self-destruction and it was a game but later he turned the Arjuna’s arrow.
After keeping his foot firmly Modi made all those leaders sit at a side. When Modi dumped heavyweight leaders there came a storm against him but it was proved nothing. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi sat quiet and accepted it.
Party leadership became angry when Modi opposed Advani from becoming president of the country but later Modi got to draw bigger lines and the balloon of anger finally burst. Even the opposition of Yashwant Singh settled down despite that fact that ignoring him and Subramanian Swami has put country in to ebb in financial front.
Congressmen too might have to come to terms with the history of cruel justice. They are actually worried about it. It might be time to repeat the BJP episode in the Congress. This could also be a the delivery pain for the party to pave way for a new birth. Or might be the pain to settle in history.
BJP’s feet might shake due to failure at fronts like GDP, dearness, poor governance and people are looking for options but they find none in shape of congress or any regional party. For them regional parties have a narrow vision.
Congress is unable to play the card of alternative politics and hence it has reached the last leg. If the circumstances force the party and the party walks a new path then it might get rid of the family politics else just as left parties the Congress too might get buried.
A lot of weeds such as caste politics that were hurdle in way of development have been eliminated by the BJP. But this has to be kept in mind that there is very less scope to walk on intolerance politics for long. Hence the middle-path is the ultimate.
The mantra of citizen awakening which is the country needs is being witnessed with the AAP. It will be no surprise that with time, until lok sabha election, there shall be a new political building. That is why the determining phase of Congress is looking interesting.
(writer is a senior journalist and views expressed are personal)
