The empty hand!

The Congress party in its earliest avatar was synonymous with the freedom struggle of India against the British. It comprised of many great leaders and symbolized every Indian’s hope. India had other parties too, the left and the right, who weren’t as visible in the prolonged satyagraha battles.

After ruling the country for 25 years from 1952-77 and the leading coalition partner of UPA for 15 years until 2014. Congress now suffers its leanest period. The Gandhi Parivar is holding on, despite the murmurs growing louder by each passing day. The weak leadership has demotivated legislators in many states, who are easy prey for inducing defections. Overall, the only quick-fix solution could be the abdication of power by the Gandhi family.

Rahul Gandhi, the reluctant heir to the Congress’s throne, quit the presidentship after the worst ever performance of his party in the 2019 LS election. Sonia Gandhi quickly reclaimed the chair and is holding on. A group of senior leaders, named G-23, led by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Hooda, and 20 others had earlier written to Sonia Gandhi, suggesting immediate holding of organizational elections. The Gandhis, after the earlier letter by the group, have punished Azad by denying his renomination to Rajya Sabha. They have nominated Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi loyalist, as their RS leader, overlooking Anand Sharma, another dissenter. 

The G-23 again met in J & K yesterday and have expressed their anguish in denial of inner-party democracy. They have admitted the weakening Congress and the need to strengthen it. 

Congress has witnessed several rebellions in the past. The party’s socialist leaders set out to join with Jayaprakash Narayan, Vinobha Bhave, JB Kripalani etc. Indira herself rebelled against the ‘syndicate’ of her party, splitting the party vertically in the process. Jagajivan Ram had rebelled and had formed a short-lived Congress J.

A group of relatively younger Congressmen, led by Chandra Sekhar, Mohan Dharia, Ram Dhan etc., revolted against the party in 1975. Chandra Sekhar, who had left Congress, later became the Prime Minister for a short spell under Janata Dal.

Pranab Mukherjee rebelled and resigned from the Congress when denied the Prime Minister’s post after Indira’s sudden death. Mukherjee formed his party but later patched up with Rajiv Gandhi.

Vishwanath Pratap Singh, the defence minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet, rebelled and walked out with Arun Nehru and Arif Md. Khan. VP Singh became the PM in 1989. The crumbling of Congress began during this period when several regional outfits emerged all over India.

YSR, a tall leader from Andhra, rebelled, and his son formed his party to have a landslide win. Congress under Rahul had rebellions in Assam, Arunachal. MP and Rajasthan. 

Nothing seems to move a stony-faced Sonia Gandhi and her juvenile son Rahul. Attempts are on to thrust Priyanka and Robert Vadra to the leadership of the INC.

The Gandhi family has done a great disservice to India by deviating from their responsibilities as the main opposition party. They must leave in grace or thrown out. The rise of regional parties, talking incoherently of a federal democracy like Mamata does often, is ludicrous for a developing nation like India.

I still feel Congress must be revived, as a responsible opposition party, and without the shadow of Gandhis anywhere closer to it. It is time for the G-23 to stop the empty rhetoric and act decisively in the nation’s larger interest.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix