Congress is the oldest party in India. The party saw India gain independence from the clutches of the British and establish democracy. However, some seven decades down the line, Congress has become the only political party in India to have monarchy as its governing principle. Yes, Monarchy, you heard it right. After being battered and bruised in countless elections since 2014, the Congress party recently assembled in a Chintan Shivir to plot its revival path.
It tried to emulate BJP and its election-winning strategy but ended up bootlicking the Gandhi clan, once again and for the umpteenth time. Moreover, to satiate the Gandhi family, the bootlickers went loggerheads with Congress party beau NDTV on social media platforms.
Reportedly, the three-day ‘Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir is set to begin today in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, the Congress party is expected to adopt the one family one ticket rule with the caveat that the Gandhi family can field as many candidates as they like. Meanwhile, other big Congress families will have to be content with a single ticket or the family members will have to show their working record for the party in the last five years to be eligible for a second ticket.
#Congress pic.twitter.com/GiY5MnVRHR
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 13, 2022
Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken was quoted as saying, “There’s almost complete unanimity among panel members on the proposal that to ensure that party leaders don’t give tickets to their kin or relatives without any work in the party, at least 5 years of prior work in the party will be required.”
NDTV spills the beans; Congress leaders give publication an earful
Trying to emulate BJP and its no-dynast politics, the murmurs around the ‘One family, one ticket’ rule had started swirling ahead of the three-day camp. At the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting led by chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday, the supposedly controversial proposal was put forth.
Congress’ unofficial mouthpiece NDTV had reported about the development before breaking the news earlier today as well. However, the Congress party did not appreciate that NDTV reported the full truth of the Gandhi family being provided a concession.
Srinivas BV, National President of Indian Youth Congress slammed NDTV by stating in Hindi, “If some of NDTV’s colleagues have trouble understanding Hindi, then we can provide a translator. And if there is some other personal compulsion behind this misleading news then only God can help journalism in this country. Sharing full statement..”
हिंदी समझने में अगर NDTV के कुछ साथियों को तकलीफ है तो एक Translator हम मुहैया करा सकते है,
या फिर इस Misleading खबर के पीछे कोई और निजी मजबूरी तो इस देश में पत्रकारिता का भगवान ही मालिक है । पूरा बयान साझा कर रहा हूँ.. https://t.co/C0FyLEOJo6 pic.twitter.com/t5oTPK0JZX
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) May 13, 2022
While Srinivas took NDTV to the cleaners, suggesting that the two lovers viz. Congress and NDTV were having a lover’s tiff – the latter was not entirely wrong in suggesting that the Gandhi family was effectively insulating itself from the new rule.
Read More: Congress’ ‘Chintan-Shivir’ is a sham
The five-year rule is a way to insulate the Gandhi clan
Much like every other decision within the party that tends to protect the Gandhis — the One family, one ticket rule seems to circumvent Gandhis. The Gandhi clan understands that if the caveat was not applied, their authority over the party would have diminished within no time.
Congress’ version that tickets can be given if the family member is working with the party for the last five years is also an ambiguous statement. The party has not determined what is the extent of party work that is admissible to be granted an election ticket.
For example, in the last six-seven years, Congress cadre workers were actively lobbying for Priyanka Gandhi to step up and assume an active role within the organisation. However, it was only in last year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly polls that Priyanka took the plunge and found herself amidst an active political battlefield.
Before the elections, Priyanka was a token leader who sprang up here and there but never industriously contributed to the party. And ever since the elections, she has disappeared from the public eye once again.
As SME at TFI also wrote, “In the last Six to seven years, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was not active in the politics but during the UP Elections she did many political tours of UP. Will the 5 year rule apply on her?”
In the last Six to seven years, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was not active in the politics but during the UP Elections she did many political tours of UP. Will the 5 year rule apply on her?#NDTV #ChintanShivir
— Vivek Singh (@vivek_9404) May 13, 2022
Read More: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: The new Rahul who is out to sink the Congress for good
Thus, the question presents itself — can it be established that she has worked around the clock for the party in the last five years? The logical answer will be no and consequently any non-Gandhi surname family leader will not get the ticket. However, it is Priyanka with the Gandhi surname we are talking about and thus she may easily get the party ticket and even contest the elections without any trouble.
Akin to Congress’ soft Hindutva reboot, the One family, One ticket rule is a sham
This is the hidden reality of Congress’ new rule. The party wants to ape BJP but its fundamentals are so rotten at the core that it cannot take any decisive or game-changing step. Congress tried the soft Hindutva push as well by making Rahul wear Janeu and having him visit temples. However, in the end, it all turned out to be a farce and a political gimmick.
Similarly, through the Chintan Shivir, Congress is trying to send a message to voters that it is ditching dynasty politics. However, the truth cannot be far from it. Sonia Gandhi is in the last stretch of her political career and running on fumes. Scion Rahul Gandhi has mentally checked out of mainstream politics for nearly a decade now while the supposed young and fresh face of Priyanka Gandhi was made to taste the mud in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka are a passenger, or to put it rather bluntly, deadweight in Congress, solely surviving on the merit of their Gandhi surname. Earlier, Sonia and Rahul had single-handedly quashed the rebellion of the G-23 group of dissidents to cement her family at the center of Congress.
Read More: Sonia Gandhi has hijacked Congress through CWC
Congress may change a thousand rules as it likes but unless the party addresses the elephant in the room and that is the Gandhi family, any plan of revival is setting up for eventual disappointment. Till the time Gandhi family resides at the top party position, Congress is not getting rid of Parivarvad.
