Himachal episode is reflective of the moribund state of the Congress

The leading national level opposition party, the Congress, has been caught napping once again which has resulted in the party losing in the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh despite having a comfortable majority in the state assembly. The humiliating defeat exposes a lack of cohesion within the party and a complete absence of strategy when it comes to dealing with its main rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Credit must be given to the BJP for drawing a strategy to defeat the Congress despite the fact that it had just 25 MLAs against the Congress party’s 40 in the Assembly. All it needed was the backing of six Congress MLAs and three independents to win the seat. It did it without the Congress leaders, including the candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi getting a whiff of the strategy planned by the BJP.

The shocking defeat of its candidate in Himachal is reflective of the moribund state of the Congress in the entire country. As the country’s biggest national opposition party it is the duty of the party to act as a strong opposition party which should keep the government on its toes. However the party has been repeatedly letting down those who believe that democracy can flourish more effectively if there is viable opposition.

Despite two successive defeats in Lok Sabha elections and heading for a hat-trick, the party has refused to learn lessons. It is, therefore, not shocking that there is a steady stream of its leaders walking out and joining the BJP. In the past few years about a dozen of former congress chief ministers have left the party. Some are heading governments in the states.

Congress continues to be “guided” by a band of tired, defeated and inept old war horses who have failed the party time and again. Yet the party leadership appears to have no intention to get rid of them and infuse fresh blood. Perhaps the Gandhi family, which continues to have a stranglehold on the party, is too scared of young and more intelligent leaders who might over shadow the ‘Prince’.

It is a well established fact now that despite all its efforts, Rahul Gandhi has been refusing to learn and evolve as a credible leader. In fact he is proving to be its biggest liability and a blessing in disguise for Modi and his party.

Just look at his latest strategy to hold Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is war time as far as the elections are concerned. During war time the top leadership is not out on the war front but strategising at its headquarters. It is time to forge alliances, select candidates, work out well-thought strategy for campaigning and drawing up an agenda or manifesto to attract the voters. Instead he is out on the road and asking reporters about the caste of their editors!

And allowing himself a break, when he should be strategising with party leaders for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he is going off to Oxford for a week presumably for giving a lecture. What more proof does one require for the ‘efficiency’ of his advisors. No wonder he is the best bet for Narendra Modi and his party.

Modi understands it very well that the Congress cannot be a threat till it keeps reposing its faith in the Gandhi family and more particularly in Rahul Gandhi. Therefore Modi has been avoiding comments against regional parties and has been targeting and “exposing” only Rahul Gandhi who, evidently, is no match for him.

There has been murmurs of protest in the Congress. Formation of a Group of 23 or G23 was part of it. However it got dissipated after some of its members left the party. Others have chosen to remain quiet. It is unfortunate that the party, which has a national duty to perform, remains clueless and not ready to overhaul itself. The party can only blame itself for its pathetic situation. Its old, tired and defeated war horses must go.

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