The internal feud in the Indian National Congress yet again has come to the forefront as the Congress Working Committee meeting was mired with dissenting leaders led by the party veterans– Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal– as they sought to usher the widespread changes in the party. The Indian National Congress is in a bind as it faces a complicated situation whether with or without the Gandhis; the party is facing an existential crisis as the party stares at a bleak future.
Over the years, the Indian National Congress has always been a divided house and the Gandhis are the glue that has kept the party together. The glue is appearing to weaken after the damaging defeats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The defeats coupled with a repeated drubbing in most of the state elections have put the party in a state of dilemma in terms of party’s leadership. The grand old party is facing two roads: to repose faith in the Gandhi family or prepare for the future minus the Gandhis. Unfortunately for the party, neither of the roads led to a victory.
All hell broke loose in the INC after 23 party leaders ‘dissented’ as they wrote a letter to the Interim President Sonia Gandhi seeking “full time” active leadership, sweeping reforms and elections of the CWC.
It is pertinent to note that the current Congress that we know is the Congress (Indira) faction as the party in the past has been divided into various factions of which most notably was the ND Tiwari and Devraj Ur’s faction. Regional satraps like Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee left the party to form their own political outfits and have been quite successful at doing so, at the expense of the Indian National Congress. The wounds of how Sharad Pawar backstabbed and rebelled against the party to pull the rug from the Vasant Patil government in 1978 are still fresh with Pawar later rejoining the party in 1986 only to vertically split the party in 1999 and forming the NCP to protest Sonia Gandhi’s elevation as the party president.
The party found glue in Sonia Gandhi, a person which must be revered by those who wanted to have any future in the party. Such was the hold of Sonia Gandhi that no one dared to question her thinking. The 10-year-rule of the UPA from 2004-2014 was prime with party-friendly journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai who had to be happy with asking questions like if Sonia Gandhi knows how to cook Pasta in the rare instance where Mrs Gandhi agreed to give an interview.
The untouchable image of Sonia Gandhi was now tarnished as party veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor were the part of the bloc which wrote the letter which was subsequently leaked to the media. Sonia Gandhi now appears weak, much to the chagrin of the family loyalists.
Almost everyone in the party has given up hopes of Rahul Gandhi leading the party and reviving its fortunes. Ghulam Nabi Azad went as far as claiming that the Congress will have to make do with sitting in the opposition for the next 50 years if intra-party elections aren’t held.
“For the last many decades, we do not have elected bodies in the party. Maybe we should have pushed for it 10-15 yrs ago. Now we are losing elections after elections, and if we have to come back we need to strengthen our party by holding elections. If my party wants to be in opposition for the next 50 years, then there is no need for elections within the party,” said Azad, clearly hinting that the party’s future lies without the presence of Gandhi family.
Party leaders realise that any hopes of returning to power at the Centre will have to be put on hold till the time the post of Party President is juggled between the Gandhi family. Indian voters have repeatedly rejected the Gandhis and have shown no inclinations of warming up to the them.
But what will be left to fight for, without the party? A non-Gandhi Congress President will result in a certain split with Congress breaking into various factions led by state leaders. It will be foolhardy to think that family loyalists like Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot will accept the directions of a non-Gandhi President. There is no point leading a disintegrated party.
The way the family loyalists have started attacking the dissenters reveals how quickly the party will disintegrate once the Gandhis relinquish power. After hounding young leader Jitin Prasada, Congress Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Kodikkunil Suresh lashed out at Shashi Tharoor as he said, “Shashi Tharoor is certainly not a politician. He came to the Congress party as a guest artist. He is still counting in the party as a guest artist.”
Ambitious leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma have switched over to the BJP with the latter immensely gaining from their presence as it is utilising their potential. Sachin Pilot unsuccessfully rebelled against Gehlot and has been relegated into the dustbin of Rajasthan politics.
As for the Gandhis, they will never willingly let go of the party, as for them Congress is not a political party but a family-owned enterprise which must be milked to the fullest. Relinquishing power for even a short period will result in the Gandhis becoming homeless as they will have no party to return to.
Presently, none of the roads leads to victory for the Congress. Continuing with Gandhi family will only increase BJP’s footprint in the country and the party can kiss goodbye of returning to power in the Centre for the foreseeable future. Without the Gandhis, the party will fall like a house of cards. Going by the recent history of the party, the apex family and the loyalists will do everything to maintain the status quo at all costs.
