New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is currently focused on improving the party organisation through the Organisation Creation Campaign. However, the biggest question within the party is how the organisation can be strengthened at the lower levels without any change at the top. Despite continuous electoral defeats, no big leader has been held responsible so far.
Actually, Rahul is running this campaign based on suggestions from his sister, Priyanka Gandhi. Under this campaign, new district presidents are to be appointed. However, sources say that Priyanka wanted to handle this task herself, but the party did not give her the opportunity. As a result, Priyanka has limited her role these days.
As part of this campaign, Rahul has held meetings and discussions with leaders from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. He plans to visit other states for further discussions. The effort is to strengthen the Congress organisation from the grassroots level to the centre.
After continuous defeats, the party has taken up the task of organisational strengthening. A key issue arising from these meetings is how to deal with internal conflicts and identify BJP-supporting leaders within the party.
In Madhya Pradesh, Rahul caused some resentment by referring to certain leaders as “fast running,” “shadi wala,” and “lame horse.” Senior leaders expressed displeasure at these remarks, which could harm the party in the future. Some leaders might even switch parties to secure their positions. Many of Rahul’s close associates have already left the party and joined the BJP.
By using the term “lame horse,” Rahul seemed to target senior, aged leaders indirectly. Whatever his intentions, social media has started a campaign nationwide that harms Congress’s image.
Take Madhya Pradesh as an example. The party’s condition there is worrying. The current team was completely unsuccessful in the Lok Sabha elections and did not win a single seat. It remains to be seen whether Rahul will replace state president Jitu Patwari and legislative party leader Umang Singhar or continue with them.
A major question is where Rahul places leaders like former Chief Ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh. Both wield significant influence across the state and have supported the Gandhi family in both good and bad times.
Kamal Nath is particularly known for his support. Both leaders remain politically active.
Whatever is happening on social media following Rahul’s statement, it appears that Congress is facing setbacks. His remarks in Bhopal have caused disappointment among senior Congress leaders across the country. Now, the issue of selecting district presidents has come up. Observers sent from Delhi are choosing the district presidents, raising another question: When the party elected district presidents through organisational elections just two and a half years ago, on what basis will they be removed now?
When observers from Delhi will selects district presidents, why would they listen to state leaders? This has prevented the party from making decisions in states like Gujarat, which was supposed to be the first for organisational change. The situation in Gujarat mirrors that of Madhya Pradesh.
In Haryana, Rahul made former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja meet face to face, but the question remains whether the party will sideline Hooda.
During the meeting, Hooda spoke openly, saying, “Everybody takes credit for victory, but no one for defeat.”
Rahul responded by saying, “I am the father of the party, so the responsibility for defeat is also mine.”
Under Rahul’s leadership, the party has lost three Lok Sabha and dozens of state elections, but no one has been held accountable. All office bearers remain in their positions. The discussion within the party is that without action against top leaders, how can the organisation strengthen at the lower levels?
Rahul talks big, but where will he find leaders recognised beyond their districts and states? Trusting inexperienced leaders during such difficult times is challenging. Making the organisation efficient is a huge task for Rahul. When responsibility is not fixed at the top level, changes at the lower levels will achieve little.