Caught in the BJP’s trap, the Congress is in crisis.
The Congress seems to be trapped in the net laid by the BJP. Prime Minister Modi probably wanted only former Congress President Rahul Gandhi to be in front of him once again in the competition. That looks to be coming out in the times to come. The Congress is focusing on targeting Prime Minister Modi, thereby leaving aside the real issues. Consequently, the competition is gradually shifting towards Modi versus Rahul. If this happens, the upcoming general election is going to be challenging for the Congress.
The biggest concern is that the Congress does not want to understand the changes that are happening in the country. The Gandhi family made Mallikarjun Kharge the party’s president just for namesake, which probably was a wrong decision. Kharge remained just a titular president and the party is still standing the way it was in 2019. Kharge could not gather courage to speak or was perhaps instructed to obey the orders from the higher supremacy, is either a mystery or the internal matter of the Congress cannot be said. Rather no one can tell what the truth is. But if a 139-year-old party is struggling to survive today, it is not a good sign for democracy. Prime Minister Modi is not responsible for this. The Gandhi family itself is responsible and it is ironical that such an old party has not been able to comprehend the country’s politics in two and a half decades. The party’s top leader Rahul Gandhi is surrounded by people who fail to understand the undercurrent and mood of the people of the country in general.
Talking about 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the then President Sonia Gandhi gave the driving seat of the party in her son Rahul Gandhi’s hands. Daughter Priyanka Gandhi was brought in for help. Due to the ten-year anti-incumbency of the UPA government, the party suffered a huge loss. After the defeat, the party started operating under the direction of Rahul Gandhi. Perhaps Rahul Gandhi could not understand that just becoming the president would not work. It is important to be powerful as well to run an organization this old and established. Instead of focusing on the organization, he started making decisions that led to the party’s fragmentation instead of strengthening it. The party suffered a massive loss, even in the 2019 general elections.
The uniqueness was in the representation of both the leading parties. On one hand while Prime Minister Modi was the face of the BJP, Rahul Gandhi was the face of the Congress. In both elections, Prime Minister Modi was on the target of the Congress. The BJP and Prime Minister Modi had fairly grasped the potential of the opponent and clearly understood that there would be no improvement in the Congress. Thereby, a plan was devised to target Rahul Gandhi for benefit of BJP.
Instead of targeting Rahul in the state elections, emphasis was given on local issues. But after winning Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, the entire strategy changed. While keeping Prime Minister Modi’s face, the target was shifted to the Gandhi family. After becoming Prime Minister again, Modi did not directly target the Gandhi family for five years. But before the general elections, the Gandhi family again came on radar in the Lok Sabha session. Although Prime Minister Modi never took the name of the Gandhi family directly in his speeches. But terms like ‘dynast’ and ‘startup’ were used, targeting Rahul. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi and the entire Congress, which used to attack Prime Minister Modi over Adani and Ambani, became aggressive about caste. Inflation, unemployment, and issues related to farmers disappeared. Prime Minister Modi and the BJP wanted Rahul to come directly into the contest, and he did.
The Congress crisis does not end here. The attempt to form an Indy alliance against Modi came with a cost. Firstly, he did not trust the parties involved in the alliance. Second, the foundation of the Indy alliance was laid at a time when elections were to be held in three major Hindi-speaking states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Most of the parties involved in the alliance were those who believed in the politics of appeasement.
The result was that the BJP got a chance to polarize. Congress suffered a decisive defeat in all three states. Congress’ loss scattered allied parties. The Congress had to bear the brunt of the dispersion. Not only this, but Congress is also paying the price for the provocative statements made by its oldest supporters. Last year’s statement against Hinduism and now the demand for a separate country has given BJP a big opportunity to attack the Congress.
It is clear from the way Prime Minister Modi appeared angry over the statements made in Parliament that it will become an issue in the elections. Congress will have to bear the consequences of the actions of its supporters. Had congress tried to run without the policy of appeasement, it would have saved itself from the situation it is in today. Small parties always show their strength, the crisis of saving the party has arisen. Congress has been following the path of appeasement since the 1990s. Even now, Congress is treading on the same path that BJP wants. Rahul is a leader and he wants to target Prime Minister Modi. The party is also moving on the same path. The repercussions are before them. In states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, some big leaders of the party can join BJP. It might happen in some other
states as well.