What is the reason for the dimming light of Congress?

The country’s oldest and strongest Congress party has disintegrated, the party’s strong, loyal and strong grassroots leaders are leaving the party and joining its biggest rival party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, that too when the Lok Sabha elections are round the corner. This defection of Congress leaders is surprising, the ongoing process of leaving the party only underlines the pitiful condition and dark future of this oldest party of the country. Although some leaders of BJP and some other parties have also gone to the shelter of Congress, but in comparison the number of its leaders leaving the party is much more. The question is why did such conditions arise for a democratic organization to go into the abyss? Review and introspection of its reasons is necessary. The Congress Party is not only continuously losing, but is also breaking and disintegrating, its support base is weakening, despite these big reasons, the top leadership of the party has neither reviewed nor analyzed it. Congress is branded with dynasty and filial piety. There is no internal democracy in the party. The top leadership is incapable of taking decisions. There is no policy for the welfare of the majority. Appeasement policy is also proving fatal for him. Despite these big reasons, due to silence in the party, many responsible and courageous leaders are leaving the party or have gone away. Today’s top Congress leadership has become so ‘entangled’ with communal, anti-social, selfish, sycophantic and anti-national elements that it has become difficult to get out of it. There is a situation of snake-rat. Neither does it come out nor spits out. The Congress leadership suffers from the illusion of gaining power and the phobia of the danger of losing it.

The party leadership should be surprised by Congress leaders leaving the Congress, but this is hardly the case, because Rahul Gandhi usually neglects his duty by terming such leaders as cowards or opportunists. He and his close ones are not ready to see and understand the reason why leaders are leaving the party one after the other. The joining of Ravneet Singh, grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, to the BJP is a big blow to the Congress because Punjab is one of those states where the Congress looks relatively strong and the BJP is seen as the third-fourth party. The situation is similar not only in Punjab, but also in Maharashtra, Himachal and other provinces. It should not be ignored that among those who left Congress, there were many leaders who were considered close to the Gandhi family, like Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, Suresh Pachauri. Before this, most of the leaders who were said to be members of Rahul Gandhi’s youth brigade have also left Congress. A large number of leaders who have left Congress are those who have their independent political dominance and identity and are known for their support base. Among the leaders close and sycophantic to the Gandhi family, there are very few who have the ability to win elections on their own.

The question is why did Congress become in this situation? The Congress leaders of the past, who kept the diversity, character and culture of the country intact, before whose statues and pictures we bow our heads and offer flowers, were not ignorant. He had washed the feet of ‘Mother India’ with his blood and sweat. Today his national thinking and sense of public welfare are being denied and he is being called ‘short-sighted’. Gradually, the big-thinking workers working at the grassroots level in Congress decreased and the sycophants of the leaders increased. It is these sycophants who have come forward and have become the reason for the disintegration of Congress. Time is seeing all this and is also giving a harsh slap. Congress is no longer credible and moral and power cannot be held without trust and morality. A golden vessel is needed for the lioness’s milk. Congress is not fulfilling its national responsibility and organizational responsibility with political skill and ethical manner. Instead of cursing the darkness, it would have been better if someone had lit a candle at the party. Time has taught us that the power to illuminate has become dull. The result of this is that the number of leaders leaving Congress is increasing rapidly, from this it seems that a campaign like leaving the party is going on. Rahul Gandhi may show that the departure of Congress leaders does not affect the health of the party, but the truth is that now it seems to be making a difference. The results of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will make this difference even more clear. Some leaders are not willing to contest the elections and some have taken back their steps after being declared candidates. Congress may be showing that it is capable of countering the BJP, but it is not hidden from anyone that it could not give the shape to the front led by it, the India Grand Alliance, which was expected. Congress cannot blame anyone other than itself for this. The decline of Congress is not a good sign because it is a truly national party in front of BJP. There is no other national party which has its roots across the country. A strong opposition is also necessary in a democracy, but the ruling party cannot worry about its strength.

The top leadership in the Congress party has become weak. Due to dynasty politics and familyism, Congress party is sinking day by day. Earlier, public welfare was the first priority for Congress leaders, but today anti-Modi is their priority. In the name of anti-Modi, she sometimes starts opposing the nation, this change in her priority has also weakened the party. Congress is also becoming weak because of its appeasement policy. If she doesn’t change this, her condition will go from bad to worse. It has to be understood that no party can rule the country by angering the majority. What Rahul Gandhi says, what he thinks, no clear message is received. A decision is taken in Congress which is not a decision at all. People don’t understand what has been said. For this reason, many leaders have gone into the background but are giving the impression that we are on the stage. Many are standing on the stage but it seems that someone is “prompting” them. It’s about someone, someone is saying it. It is better than a puppet which does not say anything on its own behalf. She does whatever she asks. She doesn’t even claim to be anything other than a puppet. This may work in a family but a national party cannot be run like this. Centuries have to suffer the consequences of moments. Wrong thinking, wrong decisions and wrong motivation of the top leadership tear apart the fabric of not only the party but also the nation, the same is happening in Congress. The entire country is replete with examples of Congress’s immature politics and mismanagement. In such a situation, the question arises that will Congress, which was limited to 52 seats in 2019, be able to score a half-century in 2024? It seems that the policies and leadership of Congress are becoming co-operative in BJP’s ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ campaign.

– Lalit Garg

Writer, Journalist, Columnist