Jubilee Post News & Views
Kumar Bhavesh Chandra
Once again the question of leadership has emerged at the upper crust in the Congress. But to anyone’s surprise the top leadership is silent on this issue. Leaders such as Sandip Dixit and Shashi Tharoor have raised the issue to fix leadership. Keeping in vie the party working style this attempt can be said a intrepid one.
Sandip Dixit broke silence on question of a English daily. He candidly replied that for this the responsibility is with the party’s top leadership. If Rahul is not willing to remain on the president post then senior leaders should come forward for the leadership sake in the party but majority of them are afraid to take a lead on this. Seniors have kept silent on this initiative from Sandip but Shashi Tharoor has given him support on this.
Tharoor first tweeted to keep his views. He wrote that what Sandip has said in public has been said by senior party leaders in closed door meetings. He suggested the Congress Working Committee for a election process to keep the enthusiasm high among the party workers. Later in an interview to a news agency Tharoor kept more points on this weakness inside the party and tried to drag attention on the issue.
The question is whether the present leadership in Congress party is really worried or not about its workers and voters? It is an irony that the party that got 19% votes in the last general elections is unwilling to solve the issue of leadership in the party. After the election results came Rahul resigned from the post and the charge of interim president of the party went to Sonia.
As far as Sonia is concerned her health is an issue and she might not be giving much time to the party or taking part actively. And if this is not correct, then certainly party leadership should come out and speak on it and tell it is not correct.
The party puzzle over the leadership issue is such that even the big bosses in the party are unable to think for a name outside the Gandhi family. Unfortunately the Gandhi family too is unable to look forward to senior leaders in the party to get the issue solved. More so there is no power centre inside or outside the party that can come to rescue in such a situation.
Keeping the confusion the Congress party has reached such a situation that it faced elections in four states without a central leadership. The central leadership has gone so helpless that it got the biggest shock in Delhi elections. Congress that stayed second in general elections reached such a condition that majority of its candidates in Delhi election lost their deposits and in the entire state it got 4% vote share.
It is a matter to laugh that some big leaders in Congress were not analyzing their defeat but they were happy that BJP did not made a comeback in this election. Some leaders in Delhi were seen celebrating due to their personal issues with the other leaders.
This is due to the weakness in the central leadership that dispute between part leaders in several states are becoming news. The cold war between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Sindhiya in Madhya Pradesh and in Rajasthan Ashok Gahlot and Sachin Pilot are spoiling the scene. The situation in Haryana too is not good. IN the state the internal brick battling was the reason by Bhupendra Hudda could increase number of seats but failed to bargain power. And the BJP despite defeat got the taste of victory.
After Uttar Pradesh the biggest state is Maharashtra. There Congress is part of the government but is seen on the edge only. In fact the policy of the central leadership for Maharashtra too was weak and shortsighted. Congress weakened itself by going by Pawar. Rahul and Sonia both did not go for oath ceremony despite invite by Uddhav Thakre and this could be a political mistake that the partymen in the state will have to pay for in the coming years.
The Congress is unable to understand that its power is being reduced and in such a situation it can fight the BJP only with its partners. And if there become new partners then instead of making connection the party is putting it to test and does not know how this policy will bring result.
After defeat in four states Bihar is getting ready to take yet another exam for the party.
The Congress has yet another opportunity. It can correct its policies and organization and give a tough fight to the challenges. The question is yet that whether the Congress is aware of these challenges? Does the party identifies the issues in politics? Is the party ready to take on opponents with the new strategies. If not then you may take that Congress has forgotten the alphabet of politics.
(writer is a senior journalist, views are personal)
