Things could not be any worse for the Congress party as in the last few days. It had begun with the announcement of the Lok Sabha results and the resultant shock, crumbling the aspirations of throwing BJP out and nominating Rahul Gandhi as the PM. The dream was shattered the very day when the scion of the Congress party left Amethi in a hurry to safeguard himself in the minority-dominated Waynad region. His impressive win did not stir the nation though.
Rightfully Rahul resigned, taking the onus and responsibility of the defeat of his party. But the party continued headless for more than two months, with Motilal Vora a nonagenarian, as the interim president. Finally, the first CWC meeting, which met recently elected Sonia Gandhi as the interim president for six months. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been making more frequent political appearances and could well be the new president of the party. The sycophant party leaders do not want to lose the Gandhi connection to Congress party.
Congress had a golden opportunity, to reinvent, re-brand and emerge as the national alternative to BJP in 2024. They had many youths like Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada or even Sashi Tharoor. They could have retired Sonia with grace and sent Rahul on one of his mysterious excursions abroad. Priyanka will be busy cleaning up the dirt tracks of Robert Vadra. They could have weeded out the corrupt like P. Chidambaram, Karthi, Kamal Nath, who in any way will be gone by 2024. The party has irretrievably lost all the opportunity by hanging on to the family.
The directionless and cavalier attitude of the party was discernible soon after the changes to the Art 370 concerning Jammu & Kashmir was announced. As usual, the Congress spokesmen condemned the action, stating the nation will be divided and is in peril. The leader of the Congress Parliamentary declined to admit that Kashmir was a bilateral issue and beckoned the UN to intervene. Interestingly a few sane voices supporting the government emerged as well, like Scindia or Hooda, the former CM of Haryana, much against the party line. The Rajya Sabha whip of the Congress party resigned in disgust and joined the BJP.
The worst has been happening to the Congress party in the last three days. Ratul Puri, Kamal Nath’s nephew, is arrested on charges of defrauding the banks, which could well lead to his uncle in due course. P. Chidambaram, as an accused, disparagingly has been appearing robed in the senior advocate’s attire, complete with neckband et al., in violation of the dress-code. Like his son, Chidambaram too has been able to obtain bail several times.
No, this is not the Congress that could have fought to oust the British from India. This Congress is not the party that filled the prisons with freedom fighters. This party is not the one, which challenged an elected government on issues of national security (Balakot strikes), or Jammu & Kashmir. Congress is full of oversized rats, which have grown nibbling everything that it can smell, be it 2G telecom, commonwealth games, or defence procurements. It had made corruption excellent well-oiled machinery.
Congress is crumbling right in front of our eyes, like the Arctic glaciers, both disasters made by men who mattered.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
