Congress needs surgery, yes. But by safe hands
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has called for a “surgery” to arrest the Congress's electoral decline. His statement was prompted by the party's resounding defeat in the recent Assembly elections. This is not the first time that the Congress has been defeated in the last two years (it lost the 2014 lok Sabha election and various other State polls); it is also not the first time that voices have emerged from within, seeking firm action and not mere words to tackle the disease that is eating into the Congress's vitals; it is not the first time that a fact-finding panel will submit its report on the loss. But it could be the first time of action in recent years, if the Congress high command takes real and tangible steps to address the issue. Senior party leader AK Antony has become somewhat of a veteran in heading fact-finding missions, but his recommendations have never been heeded. Of course, he has been less than honest in his assessment of the root cause — which is the leadership of the party, now effectively in Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's hands. This is where the tricky part lies: How is a responsible Congress leader to publicly acknowledge the vice president's leadership flawsIJ In the first place, it's inconceivable for somebody as pliant as Antony to take the bull by the horns. There have been quite a few senior leaders of the Congress who have in the past dared to take on the Congress's dynasty; some survived but most others perished or meekly returned to the party line after being in the wilderness. The lesser ones who summoned the courage to take on the mighty members of the Congress's first family were either shown the door or made so unwelcome that they quit. Those with grassroots support lived to fight another day and extract their ‘revenge' (Assam leader Himanta Biswa Sarma is a good example).
Digvijaya Singh has been careful to not antagonise the Nehru-Gandhis by also saying that party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi are the “surgeons” who have to conduct the surgery. Even those who are generally sympathetic to the Congress and its leadership, have been finding it increasingly difficult to believe that Rahul Gandhi can escape accountability. After all, the de facto supremo has been leading his party to one defeat after another. But on every occasion of a setback, his people have furiously jumped to his defence and sought to insulate him from blame. So, what kind of leader is that who gladly assumes credit for victory but shuns blame for defeatsIJ Such is the prevailing despondency in the Congress camp that party workers have begun saying although in muted tones and in private conversations that someone like Priyanka Vadra needs to be roped in. If she comes in full-time, she may or may not change the fortunes of the Congress though she can enthuse the party in the short run but her coming will validate the impression that Rahul Gandhi has failed as a leader.