Game on in Congress

The Congress versus Congress tussle is gaining momentum with the G-23 dissidents led by Ghulam Nabi Azad making last ditch efforts to persuade the Gandhis for a more inclusive leadership in order to revive the party.
The reality is that the Gandhis are unlikely to leave their hold over whatever is left of the Congress that easily, and the dissidents do not have enough gravitas to dislodge them. In fact, the G-23 is packed with leaders, who do not have any mass base, with the sole exception of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Therefore, they do not have any bargaining power to make the high command see their point of view.
This does not mean that the G-23 leaders are not making sense when they are talking about steps to resuscitate the party. Kapil Sibal was evidently right when he said that there was a Congress that existed beyond the Working Committee and its voice should also be heard by the central leadership.
Over the years, the Congress Working Committee, one of the most powerful bodies at one time, has been packed with mostly sycophants who do not take up clear positions, in order to acquaint the high command of how things exist. Had the CWC been elected by the AICC members, its decisions would have reflected the mood of the cadres.
What is most worrying is that apart from Congressmen and women who actively are a part of the organisation, lakhs of its supporters, who vote for the Congress despite the string of defeats, could start deserting the grand old party. If that happens, there would be no recovery.
Another factor that is very significant is that while the Congress has weakened over the past eight years, its leadership is not looking strong either. A weak Congress with a weak leadership just simply cannot take on the BJP or any of its other adversaries. Leaders who claim to be loyalists like P. Chidambaram, too are providing flawed prescriptions.
In an interview to a news channel, the former Finance Minister said that Congress should play second fiddle to the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and Punjab so as to provide resistance to the BJP in the same way as Mamata Banerjee and M.K. Stalin should play similar roles in Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively. In other words, Chidambaram sees no future for the Congress in Delhi and Punjab, where its governments were dislodged by the AAP.
The Congress is in a crisis because it did not split after the 2014 and 2019 defeats. Historically over the past 50 years, the split has always strengthened the Congress. This was true in 1969, in 1978 and again in 1996. Therefore, the Congress has become the poaching ground for other parties, particularly the BJP and some of its remaining leaders, who would fit in the scheme of things of other outfits would always be susceptible to being enticed away.
Dissidence is not new in the Congress. Even during Indira Gandhi’s time, there were Young Turks—Chandrashekhar, Mohan Dharia, Krishan Kant and Lakshmikant Amma—who raised issues that were uncomfortable for the leadership. However, they did it in party forums and not in the way the G-23 leaders have been doing by going public.
If the high command has to assert itself, this is the time to do so as things are not going to get any better from this point onwards. It should engage with the G-23 and if they continue to challenge the functioning, they should be dealt with sternly. In Punjab, during the peak of campaigning, Patiala MP, Preneet Kaur worked against the Congress and for her husband, Captain Amarinder Singh.
No disciplinary action was taken against her while an illegal expulsion of Kewal Singh Dhillon through a letter circulated by state in-charge, Harish Chaudhury was done, violating the AICC norms. Manish Tewari has been taking up anti Congress position but he, like Preneet Kaur, continues to be in the party. This is because the leadership is weak and does not have the courage to resort to drastic measures.
The Congress is indeed imploding but if the high command continues to function in an indecisive manner, this would happen much earlier and India would become Congress Mukt. The dissidents have to be firmly told to fall in line or be prepared for being thrown out. This is perhaps the only option at this moment, before many of G-23 leave the party at their own timing in order to be accommodated in other parties.
However, if the dissidents actually want to dislodge the present Gandhis from the top leadership role, they must form their own version of the Congress and induct late Sanjay Gandhi’s son, Feroze Varun Gandhi in a key role. As was evident from the UP elections, both Varun and his mother, Maneka found themselves sidelined by the BJP and it is most unlikely that they would be given the party tickets in 2024.
Thus, if they are part of the new party, which could claim to be the real Congress, the present Gandhis would have to fight for political survival. Majority of Congress leaders whether within the G-23 or even amongst loyalists, were inducted into the Congress at Sanjay’s behest and if the party has survived for the past 42 years, it is largely because of these people who were picked up by Indira Gandhi’s younger son.
The Congress internal battle would reach a decisive phase once both sides show courage and act. Between us.