To rise again, the Congress needs to reinvent itself and strengthen the organisation. It must play the role of a credible Opposition not by criticising every move of the Government but by supporting it for the acts that are in the nation’s interest

The Congress has gone back to the tried and tested leadership of Sonia Gandhi by once again electing her as the leader of its parliamentary party in its hour of crisis. Calling it “unprecedented crisis”, Sonia herself acknowledged the numerous challenges confronting the grand old party. Claiming that several decisive measures were being mulled to strengthen the organisation, she hinted that Rahul Gandhi would continue as the party chief though he had offered his resignation to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) after the defeat. In one voice, the CWC rejected his resignation. By now, it is clear that neither will the party give up on the Gandhi family nor will the family will give up its power over the 132- year grand old party.

Rahul Gandhi should learn a lesson or two from other Opposition leaders, who, too, were humiliated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has already made changes to her party to get ready for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has asked his party to be prepared for the 2020 Assembly polls. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has begun her street-level fight to prepare for the Assembly polls. So, the fighting politician will not sulk as Rahul Gandhi did for the past few days. If the general is demoralised, what happens to the foot soldiers?

Rahul Gandhi’s pep-talk to his party MPs last week sent the right signal that it will fight back in Parliament and outside as that is what is expected from a responsible Opposition leader. He said, “We are 52 MPs. I guarantee you that these 52 MPs will fight against the BJP every single inch. We are enough to make the BJP jump everyday.” But to do this, Rahul Gandhi should come to Parliament regularly and lead from the front. So far he had been irregular in his Parliament attendance. If public meetings and rallies brings a leader in direct contact with the people, the Parliament is where the Opposition should take on the Government effectively through debates and discussions. Sonia Gandhi optimistically predicted that, “In an unprecedented crisis lies an unprecedented opportunity...Undeterred by the many challenges that lie ahead, we will rise again,” she said.

To rise again, the party needs to reinvent itself and strengthen the organisation. Rahul Gandhi’s first challenge is to show that the Congress is not a spent-force.

Second, he should make efforts to unite the Opposition to function in a cohesive manner in Parliament on issues that matter. Now that the NDA has emerged with 352 seats in the Lok Sabha, passing Bills will not be a problem for the Modi Government. But this is where the Congress and other Opposition parties should be vigilant. An effective Opposition does not need numbers but members, who can raise the issues effectively. Did not former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi face such turbulent times in Parliament during the Bofors scam days, though he had a brute majority of 415 members? A dozen of Opposition leaders, including Madhu Dandavate, Somnath Chatterjee, Indrajit Gupta, Jaipal Reddy and KP Unnikrishnan not only raised issues effectively but also saw to it that Rajiv Gandhi lost power in the 1989 elections.

Third, the Congress should strengthen the Opposition by winning cooperation of parties like the Biju Janata Dal, YSR Congress Party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi among others during parliamentary debates and discussions.

Fourth, though there is no provision of a shadow Cabinet in the Indian system, the Congress can think of encouraging its MPs to develop expertise in certain domains.  This will come handy for the party. After all, it has several experienced ex-Ministers. Lastly, the party should live in the present and not in its past glory as no legacy however strong can go on forever.

The role of the Opposition is not to criticise every decision of the Government but support issues of public interest. Boycotting the Parliament, stalling business and hitting the streets will not work. Modi-bashing days are over after the BJP registered a stunning victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.  It is time to look ahead. Ideas of secularism/fundamentalism have no longer any appeal going by the way the BJP is growing. What the Congress needs is to find an identity, appeal and a new narrative. After all, it has to face several Assembly elections before the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024. The Congress as a credible Opposition is critical for Indian democracy because despite its losses, the party still remains the only political force as a counterbalance to the BJP’s surge.

The Congress should work towards building a cohesive Opposition and take note of what the Prime Minister said in a televised address: “Whatever happened in these elections is in the past, we have to look ahead. We have to take everyone forward, including our staunchest opponents.”  If he is looking ahead, so should the Opposition.

(The writer is a senior political commentator and syndicated columnist)