Reasons for Congress’ total eclipse

Lalit Garg

(The writer can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)

The country’s oldest and strongest party, the Congress, has disintegrated; the party’s loyal and strong grassroots leaders are leaving the party and joining its biggest rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party, that too when the Lok Sabha elections are around the corner. This defection of Congress leaders is surprising; the ongoing process of leaving the party only underlines the pitiful condition and dark future of this oldest party in the country. Although some BJP leaders and some other parties have also gone to the shelter of Congress, in comparison, the number of its leaders leaving Congress is much higher. The question is: why did such conditions arise for a democratic organization to go into the abyss? A review of its reasons is necessary. The Congress party has not only been continuously losing but is also breaking and disintegrating its support base, despite these big reasons. The top leadership of the party neither reviewed nor analysed the reasons lying behind them. The Congress is branded with dynasty and filial piety. There is no internal democracy in the party. Top leadership is incapable of taking decisions. There is no policy for the welfare of the majority community in the country. The appeasement policy and blatantly communal agenda are also proving fatal for it. Despite these big reasons, due to the silence in the party, many responsible and courageous leaders are leaving the party or have gone away. Today’s top Congress leadership has become so ‘entrenched’ with communal, antisocial, selfish, sycophantic, and antinational elements that it has become difficult to get out of it. There is a snake-rat situation. Neither it comes out nor does it spit out. The Congress leadership suffers from the illusion of gaining power and the phobia of losing it.

The party leadership should be surprised at many leaders leaving the Congress, but this is hardly the case because Rahul Gandhi usually neglects his duty by terming such leaders as cowards or opportunists. He and his close ones are not ready to see and understand the reasons why these leaders are leaving the party, one after the other. The joining of the BJP by Ravneet Singh, grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, is a big blow to the Congress party because Punjab is one of those states where the Congress looks relatively strong and the BJP is seen as the third-fourth party. The situation is similar not only in Punjab but also in Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, and other provinces. This fact should not be ignored: among those who have left Congress were those who were considered close to the Gandhi family, like Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, and Suresh Pachauri. Before this, most of the leaders who were said to be members of Rahul Gandhi’s youth brigade had also left the Congress. A large number of leaders who have left Congress are those who have their own independent political dominance and identity and are known for their own support base among the masses. Among the leaders close to and sympathetic to the Gandhi family, there are very few who have the ability to win elections on their own.

The question is: why did Congress fall into this situation? The Congress leaders of the past, who kept the diversity, character, and culture of the country intact, before whose statues and pictures we bow our heads and offer flowers, were not ignorant. Today, such national thinking and a sense of public welfare are being denied, and such leaders are being called ‘shortsighted’’. Gradually, the number of big-thinking workers working at the grassroots level in Congress decreased, and the number of sycophants increased, which is responsible for the disintegration of the party. Time is seeing all this and is also giving a harsh slap. The Congress is no longer credible, and power cannot be held without trust. A golden vessel is needed for the lioness’s milk. Congress is not fulfilling its national and organisational responsibilities with political skill in an ethical manner. Instead of cursing the darkness, it would have been better if someone had lit a candle at the party’s tomb. Time has taught us that the power to illuminate has become dull. The result of this is that the number of leaders leaving Congress is increasing rapidly. From this, it seems that a campaign, like leaving the party, is going on. Rahul Gandhi may feign that the departure of Congress leaders does not affect the health of the party, but the truth is that now it seems to be making a difference. The results of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will make this difference even more vivid. Some leaders are not willing to contest the elections, and some have taken back their steps after being declared candidates. Congress may be showing that it is capable of countering the BJP, but it is not hidden from anyone that it could not give shape to the front led by it, the India Grand Alliance, which was expected. Congress cannot blame anyone else other than itself for passing this bill. The decline of Congress is not a good sign because it is a national party in the true sense compared to the BJP. There is no other national party that has roots across the country. A strong opposition is also necessary in a democracy, but the ruling party cannot worry about its strength.

The top leadership in the Congress party has become weak. Due to dynasty politics and nepotism, the Congress party is sinking day by day. Earlier, public welfare was the first priority for Congress leaders, but today, anti-Modi policies are their priority. In the name of anti-Modi, she sometimes starts opposing the nation; this change in her priority has also weakened the party. Congress is also becoming weak because of its appeasement policy. If the party doesn’t change this policy, its condition will go from bad to worse. It has come to be understood that no party can rule the country by angering the majority community of the country. What Rahul Fake Gandhi says, what he thinks—no clear message is communicated to the general public. A decision is taken in Congress, which is not a decision at all. People don’t understand what has been said. Many Congress leaders are standing on the stage, but it seems that someone is ‘prompting’ them. It is no better than a puppet show that does not say anything on its own behalf.

This may work in a family, but a national party cannot be run like this. Centuries have to suffer the consequences of moments. Wrong thinking, wrong decisions, and wrong motivation among the top leadership tear apart the fabric of not only the party but also the nation. The same is happening in the Congress Party. The entire country is replete with examples of the Congress Party’s immature politics and mismanagement. In such a situation, the question arises: will Congress, which was limited to 52 seats in the Lok Sabha in 2019, be able to retain its current position in 2024? It seems that the policies and leadership of the Congress Party are bent on proving true to the BJP’s ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ campaign!