On 5th August Congress is staging a nation-wide protest

Congress has suffered a steep political decline. There are no visible signs of its revival either. Its voter base is eroding fast and it has no clarity on the ideological front.

There is a mass exodus of leaders who had association with it for decades and even for generations. So what can be the reason for its total collapse? We might have an answer for you. Either it doesn’t analyse the causes of its downfall, or it doesn’t want to act on the much needed reforms. This raises the question as to who is drafting these strategies for the party. Is he/she working on a plan of “Congress mukt Bharat”?

Stupidest choice of date to stage a Protest

The Congress party is staging a nation-wide protest against the Modi government. It has announced that senior party functionaries and leaders will “gherao” the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through the protest it wants to corner the government on the issue of unemployment and inflation.

Delhi | Security deployed at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, near 7 LKM.
Congress, as part of its nationwide protest over unemployment and inflation, has also announced that the CWC members and senior leadership will participate in "PM House gherao" today. pic.twitter.com/bAzKYvUdtD
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2022

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This protest is not a random thought but a well planned one. The strategy for this protest was planned at least a week before. This is why the strategic choice of 5th August raises several questions on the party’s political awareness and competence. As, the 5th of August is a historic day for the nation.

On this day, the saffron party, BJP, scripted history. It made this day a politically significant day for itself. In two successive years, 2019 and 2020, it fulfilled its two core agendas from its manifesto on the 5th of August.

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On the 5th of August 2019, the crown jewel of India, that is Kashmir, was unshackled from the clutches of Article 370 and 35A. Home Minister Amit Shah nullified this political bridge which was misused for decades by the Kashmiri politicians. A year later, BJP fulfilled its other core agenda on Ram Mandir.

The Construction of a grand Ram Mandir began on the 5th of August 2020. Both of these announcements resonated among the hearts of the public. These two top the list of the greatest achievements of the Modi government, making the 5th of August a politically significant day for the nation, particularly for the BJP.

Also Read: Congress’ ‘Chintan-Shivir’ is a sham

5 August is a historic day for the nation more specifically for the BJP.
2019 – Ar 370 & 35 A abrogation
2020 – Ram Mandir construction began
So who the hell advised Congress to stage protest on 5th? Is political sense dead in Congress? @TheGoswamiAmit @ItsVaibhavSri @rahul0948
— Paurush Gupta (@Paurushgupta_) August 5, 2022

Congress staking protest on any other day would have garnered more traction and media gaze than on the 5th of August. So why would a party like Congress want to choose such a day when the nation’s focus will be on the gains and losses of previous decisions. It seems to be an outright dump move to choose the 5th of August for its protest. It seems to be an attention seeking act rather than a political one to corner the Modi government.

Sorry but you are too late to act

Further, there are more reasons than one for the inflation. This is more of an imported inflation, meaning the external factors like Russia-Ukraine war and skyrocketing oil prices among others. India is poised at a much comfortable position as compared to other major economies of the world. For example, the US is facing the highest inflation in four decades.

The Congress missed catching the bus at the right time, as inflation is on a continuous decline. The combined steps of RBI and Central government are bringing inflation closer to the intended bandwidth of 2-6%. According to the RBI estimate, India has moved ahead of the worst of inflation and things are moving on the right track.

These points clearly mean that the Congress has missed the chance to stage protests when India was facing the worst impact of inflation. In strategising and planning it missed the bus to corner the Modi government. It seems that it woke from its slumber and was once again ill-advised to stage a protest on the 5th of August. The day when the mood and sentiments of the public is around Ram Mandir and new era in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.

This sluggish planning and repeated failure of strategies clearly hints that it is high time for Congress to sack its election strategist. It should act more maturely and in a manner that suits the stature of the principal opposition party.