Congress Decimated: Suggested Revival Plans

The Congress is completely decimated; it was trounced in J&K & Jharkhand where it stood a poor No 4. The PM, Modi, who had raised the slogan “Congress Mukt Bharat”seems to be making good his promise while the Congress seems at a loss in evolving a counter to the BJP’s strategy of usurping its symbols & icons & replacing them with new ones. While anti-Congress'ism defined all the national & regional parties formed post-Independence - Swatantra party, Jana Sangh, TDP et all- it is, indeed, paradoxical that the political canvas has now come a full circle &  nearly all parties, today, thrive on anti-BJP'ism.

Parties like JD (U) & the RJD, ideologically similar, but with dissimilar governance models, have become strange bed fellows in Bihar with the sole objective of protecting their existence from a marauding BJP that threatens annihilation. The success in the Bihar by- elections seems to have prodded them to extend this experiment nationally, bringing in the additional allies, SP from UP & the JD(S) from Karnataka to recreate a new Janata Parivar. Thus, while the followers of Ram Manohar Lohia are at least attempting a counter, the bludgeoned Congress seems too bewildered to construct an effective narrative. Since any state is well served through alternate ideologies fighting for public affection, the revival of the fortunes of both Congress & the Left front is urgently needed; else they risk being consigned to the footnotes of history.

The congress is well advised to subscribe to the following

Get back to the mass movement mode: 



The Indian National Congress (INC) was a party of the crème de la crème of society till Gandhiji, post returning from South Africa in 1915, converted it into a mass based organization that earned its spurs taking up issues that ail the common man – agitations in Champaran, in 1916 & Kheda, in 1918, being cases in point. Such actions by the Mahatma, spurred huge interest for being members of the party-a euphemism for cadre- who turned propagandists in their areas of influence & created a self-fulfilling virtuous cycle. Not sure if the Congress can boast of the same today.

The RSS has the VHP & the Bajrang Dal attracting the most fundamentalist of the Hindus while the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Akal Vidyalaya, Sewa Bharati et al are helping give a fillip to the ST no’s in its fold. The Left, despite diminished, is still a disciplined cadre based party largely without religious afflictions although in Kerala it bears the burden of being branded as a predominantly Hindu party without adequate representation to Christians & Muslims who have found greater comfort under a Congress led UDF regime.

Congress, over a period of time, has degenerated into a party whose leaders are seen clamouring for power alone. What would explain otherwise the set of leaders who jump ship just before elections & wade to the winning post riding on a different flag? Add to that the problem of leaders who smoothly transition to professional roles post losing power denying the party, leadership, during vulnerable occasions. Contrast this with Modi & Amit Shah who are 24X7 politicians that explains their stupendous electoral successes.

 The Congress’s transition to a cadre based party, taking up issues at the grass root level is the only panacea & that cannot happen without young, 24X7 leaders at the helm. Fair weather leaders or aged ones without the ability or inclination for mass contact programs should at most be placated through positions offered in think tanks.

Leaders through election & not nomination: 


Nomination has been the bane of the congress. While Nehru was nominated to the position of Prime Minister by Gandhi when an overwhelming majority of State Congress Committees were pitching for Sardar Patel, Nehru at least had the capability to evolve into a fine leader. This process, when continued in the party, with impunity, disastrous consequences were only waiting to follow. Often, nominated leaders lack the spine for they neither carry favour with the party cadre nor evoke awe or fear in the opposition ranks which in short is a sure recipe for disaster.

It is in Congress’s interest to carry out organization elections & let new leaders emerge through a democratic process. Such leaders should be tasked to concentrate on their home turfs & ensure victory of the party in 5 years. While a Sachin Pilot, in Rajasthan or a Jyotiraditya Scindia, in MP, show promise; somebody beyond the dynasties that these two represent should be encouraged to emerge. Most of the leaders ensconced in the capital should be repatriated to their home states which would not only release a no of government bungalows in Lutyens Delhi-doing a lot of public good-but also do a world of good for the party too.

Create cadre through ideology & not through money power: 
The growth of the BJP is by no mean measure contributed by the success of the RSS in terms of creating a cadre based on ideology. The contours of the ideology may be debatable but the potency definitely is not. The same logic would hold true for the ideology of the Left too. It is, however, a shame that the Congress is currently bereft of any ideology, a situation that demands an immediate correction.

Secularism is a highly misused term since all parties in the country have violated it at some time. While the BJP is perennially termed communal, the congress is not untarred. Its misadventures of first patronizing Bhindranwale & then eliminating him in 1984 through operation Bluestar led to Indira Gandhi’s assassination that supposedly instigated the butchering of about 3000 Sikhs, in Delhi, who have been denied justice till date. The Congress reversed the Shah Bano’s judgement to appease the Muslim fundamentalists & then did a balancing act of allowing Shilanyas in the Ram temple at Ayodhya-that was locked since 1949- to appease the Hindu ones. Realization has dawned on the Congress, post the Antony Committee’s report, that the Indian voter today dislikes the party propagating minority appeasement as Secularism. It is therefore time for creating a new narrative

The success of AAP in Delhi as well as the Left in Latin America indicates that there is still space for a left of centre ideology in the Indian polity & the party would be well advised to seize the opportunity.

Employ charismatic faces as spokespersons:
It is not only important to build an effective ideology but to have effective charismatic spokespersons marketing the same on national level TV debates which have now become an important source for the hoi polloi to take informed decisions. CR Kesavan & Sachin Pilot has shown the calibre to don the mantle & it is important to add more muscle into this act. It is worthwhile to note that while the entire spokesperson clan of the BJP moved into government the second level consisting of Sambit Patra, Nalin Kohli et al have quickly emerged to take their place; Congress needs to institute a similar mechanism & so should the left who today look bereft of talent.

Lead from the front:
Finally, it is important for who so ever has taken on the mantle of national leadership to lead from the front & not sit in the shadows or make occasional pronouncements. Rahul Gandhi is better advised to interact with the press more handsomely & create an effective counter in the Lok Sabha of which he is an esteemed member. Since the press is today starved of information from the government, courtesy restrictions imposed, Congress leaders have the pleasure to interact with the scribes more often & through creative imagination weave a believable story for the consumption of the masses. Therefore Rahul should cease from being a part time politician, mostly found on foreign shores, to a full time one taking on the government, constructively. Else, he should step aside & allow more effective ones to take over; the Congress, otherwise, is a tottering edifice waiting to crumble.

It is clear that the Congress post the disastrous performances in all elections starting with the State elections in 2012 can still revive provided they work on a structured logic & strategy rather than making effete attempts at protecting the family. The party does not need a “Godfather” but a “Few Good Men”. Effective state level leaders given a freedom to perform, articulate spokespersons, who can put forward the viewpoint of the party effectively & think tanks consisting of erudite personnel who can weave an effective ideological counter can ensure that the grand old party of India has a fresh lease of life.