The Congress is at a ‘historic low.’ It will sit in Opposition again if CWC polls are not held soon

Will the Gandhi family continue to control the over 136-year-old Congress Party? Will it shrink further? This are the questions bothering not just Congress leaders but also millions of party workers and supporters. The party is in the grip of a serious leadership crisis that is symptomatic of a larger malaise. Now it has reached a stage where some senior Congress leaders are questioning the dynasty openly. For instance, last August, 23 Congress leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, his deputy Anand Sharma and some former Congress Chief Ministers, had written a letter to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi demanding a “full time” leadership, dissolution of power to State units and revamping the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in line with the party’s constitution. Though Sonia managed to douse the fire then, the dissent continues, as was confirmed in last week’s CWC meeting, where there was a public spat between the ‘old guard’ and the Gandhis. The leaders realise that just Modi-bashing or the past glory of the party are not enough to get the Congress back in power. Added to that, are concerns over talented leaders leaving the party for greener pastures. For instance, a young leader like Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was close to Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, left the party to join the BJP.

 If the Congress is serious about revival, it has to introspect. With the dynasts unable to get the party back to power for two consecutive terms, the family and consequently the party, has become weak. As for the leadership crisis, Sonia has had her innings. Rahul has failed twice and the Priyanka Gandhi Vadra magic has not worked in Uttar Pradesh. Above all, the Gandhis want to continue in power, so there’s no possibility of fresh blood leading the grand old party.

So, in order to cure the sickness in the Congress, one has to diagnose the root cause first. While the AK Antony Committee was set up in 2014 for this purpose, the findings of the report were never even discussed in the party. After its loss in 2019, the party didn’t even bother to go through the motions of setting up a committee. Then, there is the lack of a smooth generational change in the organisation. While Sonia was able to install her son as the party chief and induct her daughter as general secretary, she could not check the party’s erosion or build trust in the apprehensive old guard. When Rahul took complete charge between 2013 and 2019, his evident discomfort with the seniors and the latter’s animosity against ‘Team Rahul’ was very evident. This must change.

Plus, the party must go back to grassroots politics and prepare the cadre, which will work during the elections. This is vital as the Congress has lost contact with the people. Also, there is a need for decentralisation of authority in order to empower State and district-level leaders and give up Delhi-centric functioning. The party must also develop second-rung leaders. There was a time when the States had strong Chief Ministers, and the presidents of various Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) wielded power. In such a situation, if the party lost in a region, then accountability could be fixed. That is not the case anymore.  Also, in a coalition era, the Congress needs to redefine itself and befriend regional parties. The Gandhis need to change the way they have run the Congress in the last decade or so. They need to create a new narrative to attract voters and redefine the party’s ideology. If the Gandhis do not wake up now, the party will deteriorate further. As Azad said, the party is at a “historic low.” It will continue to sit in the Opposition for the next 50 years if elections to the CWC and key organisational posts are not held. The Congress must wake up and smell the coffee.

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal)