Congress must introspect on their star leader
Unable to credibly explain the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly elections, the Congress has been diverting the issue by floating the theory that the ‘Modi factor' did not impact the results. Bipartisan observers have admitted that the BJP's prime ministerial candidate did contribute to the triumph, although its extent can remain a matter of informed debate. The party's clean sweep in Rajasthan, which is contiguous to Gujarat, is partly due to the impact that Mr Modi had on the voters during his rallies in that State.
The same is the case with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. The fact that various election surveys had demonstrated that the people were as much influenced by national issues as they were with the local, proves that Mr Modi as a national figure played a substantial role in the party's wins. In any case, while pointing fingers at the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Congress leaders forget the dismal performance that their own leader and party vice president Rahul Gandhi has put up.
While Mr Modi's rallies contributed to the victory of the BJP in all the four States, Mr Gandhi's forays ended in disaster for the party. And, it's not just his election meetings, that failed to cut ice with the people, where the matter rests. Mr Gandhi was closely involved in the entire campaign process on behalf of his party and had a decisive say in the selection of candidates. Yet, the Congress is busy insulating him from the debacle. That's not unusual for a party which protected him from criticism after he led the Congress to massive defeats in the recent past in the Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. Even when Mr Gandhi took responsibility, Congress sycophants were quick to shield him by way of convoluted logic.
The ‘Modi-factor-has-failed' canard also refuses to take into account the bare reality that the Assembly elections were primarily fought on the credibility and performance of the local leadership, although national issues did figure in the narrative. It's here that the Congress failed. Unlike the BJP — which had strong State-level leaders such as Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Mr Raman Singh, Mr Harsh Vardhan and Ms Vasundhara Raje — the Congress was bereft of the advantage (with the exception of Delhi).
Although Mr Ajit Jogi emerged as the Congress's face in Chhattisgarh, he was hobbled by sniping from within his party. Moreover, he did not enjoy the complete trust of the party's high command. The BJP's win is, therefore, a resounding endorsement of a local leadership which the Congress did not have. In States like Delhi and Rajasthan where the Congress had an incumbent Chief Minister as its face, the party was routed because of the Government's dismal performance. Instead of seeking to exploit chinks which do not exist in the Opposition's armour, Congress leaders will do well to introspect — and such introspection must include the failure of Mr Rahul Gandhi.