Indian National Congress Party, the torchbearer of the Indian independence movement and a formidable bastion of secularism and pluralism is crumbling from within. A legacy party that has led the nation for more than 60 years, formulating/implementing growth and welfare schemes to lift millions of people reeling under the yoke of abject poverty, resurrecting an economy pulverized by British loot and plunder and spearheading India’s integration with global economies through landmark liberalization policies of 1991, Congress in its current form is drifting like a directionless derelict ship in the murky waters of contemporary Indian political landscape. In continuation of the abysmally poor performances since 2014, Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in March 2022 when five poll-bound states assembly election results were announced. Congress Party senior leaders, cadres and sympathizers are found to suffer from a cognitive bias called “confirmation bias” where any amount of evidence, old and new will not persuade them to change their pre-conceived beliefs and convictions, however outdated, illogical and impractical those are to the outside world.

The ruling party led by the ethno-nationalist and supremacist BJP relishes and feeds on the current leadership of the Congress under Rahul Gandhi, projected as its prime ministerial candidate. Under his stewardship, the party ruefully is devoid of a coherent ideology unlike the BJP whose ulterior motive is to create a majoritarian ‘Hindu Rashtra’, exclusively serving the interests of Hindus, consummating their ultranationalist ‘Hindutva’ ideology. The formidable trio of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda, national and state level leaders work tirelessly and doggedly to accomplish this mission, even if they serve as proxies of RSS Headquarters in Nagpur.

The statements of Rahul Gandhi are often confusing and contradictory. One day he gives the impression of a crusader for secularism and next day a proponent of soft Hindutva. Today he moonlights as a champion of free market liberalism and tomorrow, scorns entrepreneurs. Under his command Congress was routed twice: in 2014 and even more humiliatingly in 2019 general elections. He has never exhibited to possess political acumen or statesmanship and often found to be erratic and lackluster in his commitment to a full-time political vocation. When the 136th Foundation Day of Congress was being celebrated, Rahul Gandhi took off to an undisclosed foreign location even before the flag hoisting ceremony to the utter dismay of senior congress leaders. The 23 dissenters within the party had to write to then interim party president Sonia Gandhi of the inevitability of a full-time active leadership for Congress resurgence from its appalling status quo.

On the contrary, the incumbent BJP is neither besotted by dynasty politics nor any political lineage accusatory of nepotism and patronage. Its top leaders have worked their way up in party ranks, doesn’t belong to political families and driven by a single-minded ideology of Hindu supremacism. The administrations’ economic failures, it’s anti-intellectual, anti-secular, anti-liberal agendas, however fissiparous and dangerous to the communal harmony enshrined and guaranteed by constitutional provisions gets deflected in the daily abuse and tirade against dynasty politics of Congress. The authoritarian style of Narendra Modi is countered by BJP propagandist machinery by citing the iron-willed and obstinate Indira Gandhi’s arbitrary imposing and handling of Emergency in 1975. The debacle of Modi’s diplomacy with China, manifested by Chinese encroachments into Indian territory in North East is retaliated by mentioning Nehru’s fiasco with China leading to the 1962 war. Rahul Gandhi as the opposition leader is lucky talisman for BJP. The well entrenched political positioning of Rahul Gandhi as inefficient by virtue of his own worldview and deeds and also deviously engineered by the BJP propaganda machinery will be difficult to dismantle and reconstruct from the psyche of the Indian electorate. Peoples mandate attest to this unpalatable truth consistently and predictably.   

For the BJP, it’s dynasty politics vs democratic politics, foreign vs national, secular liberalism vs ethnic and cultural nationalism; designed, orchestrated and disseminated through variety of social media platforms enthusiastically by their cyber cell warriors 24/7 x 365 days! They have succeeded in creating a populist impression that the battle is against Gandhi Family vs India, which ironically is misrepresented as the Congress Party. ‘Kaamdaar’ Narendra Modi is pitted against ‘Naamdaar’, Lutyns-land elite Rahul Gandhi. The Gandhi Family is deliberately framed and anchored in the minds of the masses, especially among the impressionable youth as Public Enemy No. 1 and those owing allegiance as ‘Urban Naxals’ and ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’. The BJP is able to galvanize support for this lie, not only by virtue of gullible, superstitious and fanatical supporters, but also of a neutral electorate who were disillusioned by the rampant corruption and inefficiencies of the UPA 2 government, under Congress watch.

There are widespread allegations that young, ambitious politicians are sidelined by the hierarchical organization of Congress leadership where power-hungry septuagenarians and octogenarians are clutching on to positions without any thoughts of succession planning and devolvement of authority. Kerala offers a classic case where senior Congress leadership was reluctant to relinquish portfolios to young blood, energetic, vibrant and full of promise that led to their routing in 2021 state assembly elections and incumbent leftist government re-elected by a landslide victory.  The defection of Congress bigwig Jyotiraditya Scindia to BJP is a grim reminder of this detrimental trend. The elected representatives and lawmakers succumbing to the machinations of political horse-trading of BJP, causing migration in droves of Congress MLA’s and MP’s to BJP camp has severely dented the ethics and integrity of the party leaders. Are there any incentives for grass root level workers to continue their loyalty to such a corrupt, moribund institution?   

Eminent Indian historian and political commentator, Ramachandra Guha who himself is an advocate of Gandhian politics has evolved into a staunch critic of the dynastic mode of functioning of the Gandhi family. In one of his articles, he juxtaposed the top leadership of BJP, Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda against the Congress high-command leaders who are unfortunately only Gandhi, Gandhi and Gandhi. If Narendra Modi is autocratic and insecure, so are Sonia Gandhi and her incompetent scions. If crony capitalism has become the defining policy of Modi government, sycophantism and nepotism have been the hallmark of Congress party ever since Indira Gandhi coronated her hot-headed son Sanjay Gandhi as her political successor. The degenerative dynasty politics of the Congress started then, progressively sounding the death knell of this grand old party.

Congress needs a progressive vision, a revamped manifesto that is futuristic eschewing outdated slogans and taglines under a strong visionary leader. A point of departure and shifting of focus from the Gandhi family will reinforce public confidence and trust in this party. A resurrected Congress party under a new leadership, democratic and egalitarian in its scope and operations should set a new paradigm for its fight against forces of communalism, sectarianism and pseudo-nationalism that jeopardizes the social fabric and cultural mosaic of an ancient, inclusive and tolerant nation. A democracy devoid of strong, effective opposition slips into “tyranny of the majority”.

Only an agenda focusing on economic revival, addressing the issues of the common man, the under-privileged, the burgeoning middle class and communicating this renewed strategy and inclusive growth vision to the masses by utilizing New Age Media and an integrated marketing campaign will reset the diminishing fortunes of Congress. A dedicated task force should be assembled pan-India to materialize these objectives. Economic opportunities translating into social mobility can only reform social evils. Unless the millennials and youth, constituting 35% of the population are sold into this vision, no party can survive in India, let alone Congress. Congress is scripting its own epitaph if the winds of change are not duly acknowledged and a course-correction is conceptualized. For the larger interests of the nation and longevity of Indian National Congress, perhaps it’s time the Gandhi family should go…                

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