It is up to the Congress Party to chooseas living in past glory is not the answer. There is still time to act

The Congress is facing an unprecedented internal power struggle, which has cost the Grand Old Party dear. It is almost imploding. It had lost a big State like Madhya Pradesh just a few weeks ago and is in the process of losing another big State, Rajasthan, soon. Even if the Ashok Gehlot Government survives the present crisis, which it may, the sword of Damocles is hanging over it in view of the fragile majority in the House. 

The present political crisis in Rajasthan is only symptomatic. If one looks at the big picture, the party is destroying itself mainly due to the power struggle between the “old guard” and the “young Turks.” Instead of following the dictum “a stich in time saves nine,” the Congress high command has allowed the already weakened party to drift apart further. Even after losing two consecutive Lok Sabha polls, there has been no effort to address the malaise. It is not surprising then that younger leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia earlier and Sachin Pilot now are looking for greener pastures.

While Congress president Sonia Gandhi managed to anoint her son Rahul Gandhi in 2017 as the party chief, she did not pay attention or ensure a smooth transition. It is this lapse, which is at the bottom of the power struggle in the party right now. Rahul has made it amply clear on many occasions that he is not comfortable with the “old guard.” On its part, the “old guard” is resisting Rahul’s new ideas and wanting the status quo to continue.

This is why, even though it managed to win Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan two years ago, the Congress has not been able to retain them. The Congress leadership failed to see the crisis brewing for the last two years within the party when the two young and ambitious leaders — Sachin and Jyotiraditya — were denied the top posts and Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath, who are part of the “old guard”, were made Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. The high command did nothing to resolve this power struggle and let old wounds fester.

As for electoral success, the Congress has not been in power for decades in Uttar Pradesh since 1989, West Bengal since 1977, Tamil Nadu since 1977, Gujarat since 1985 and Odisha since 2000. Even in the North-East, the Congress has lost its hold. Despite this slide, the Congress won 11 crore votes in 2019. There is hope yet. But, to keep the BJP out, the Congress needs a united party, good alliance partners, strengthening at the grassroot level and a new narrative.

There is a vacuum at the top and party workers are confused about the designation “interim president” given to Sonia when she took back the presidency post Rahul’s resignation in August. There are many who think that the party should have a non-Gandhi as its president but the Congress refuses to let the family go.

It is in this context that the present power struggle should be seen. The “old guard” frowns upon the ambitious “young Turks” and the latter are impatient. Even ‘Team Rahul’ is splintering, going by the way two of his close friends, Jyotiraditya and Pilot, have rebelled. The exit of others like Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada, too, cannot be ruled out sooner or later.

The BJP’s strategy has always been to import leaders of stature from other parties to weaken the rivals and it is in a position to lure them with lucrative posts now more than ever.

Also, there is an urgent need to strengthen the party at the grassroot level. The Congress is still alive in some villages and there is enough talent in the party to revive it. But there is no direction or strategy. Those who enter the Congress are anglicised young men and women, who are impatient to get positions. The membership base is eroding and there is no drive to attract new cadres. The party had a committed lot of people earlier but today it is power which lures the members. This is the dilemma the Congress is facing.

This is not the first time the Congress Party is facing a power struggle. Indira Gandhi snatched power from the powerful syndicate that was against her in the late sixties. Every party president or Prime Minister wants to have his/her own loyalists and this generational shift is making it difficult. Unfortunately the Congress is not in power now. Sonia took over the party in 1998 when there was erosion and she was able to arrest it and bring the party to power not once, but twice. Today, the same Sonia is helpless.

The easiest way out would be to counsel patience to the younger leaders while making it clear to the “old guard” that deadwood needs to go. A harmonious blend of both, old and young leaders, would go a long way in resolving this issue.

The Congress has only two options — revive or perish. It is up to the party to choose, as living in past glory is not the answer. There is still time to act.

 (The writer is a senior journalist)