NEW DELHI: Congress leaders in different states claim that their organisational machinery is not working properly, with some of their state in-charges involved in the dubious practice of giving tickets to “undeserving” people on seats where Congress could have won the electoral battle. Such choices, they say, reduce the grand old party’s chances of coming to power after the Lok Sabha elections. Two such states, according to sources privy to the matter, are Bihar and Jharkhand.
Moreover, some in leadership positions in certain states, to suit their personal interests are believed to have manufactured surveys and reports on several Lok Sabha seats to show that the Congress is winning there. The problem, according to sources, is that there is no mechanism through which the subordinate leaders can give their feedback to Rahul Gandhi or the top leadership. A source said, “If the high command wants to talk to anyone, they can talk. But the grassroots leaders cannot reach the top leadership. If there are grievances there is no one to acknowledge that. Moreover, the in-charge of a particular state is an individual entity and has to form his own analysis and carry that to the top leadership. But if the in-charge is involved in all this, who will tell the truth to the top leadership?”
When there is a problem faced by a leader, a source privy to the developments said, he would try to inform organisation general secretary, K.C. Venugopal who helms the functioning of the organisational machinery in Congress. Once the complaint is made, Venugopal would take the screenshot of the complaint and send it to the concerned in-charge. The in-charge then would corner and sideline the complainant. A source added, “Such politics is happening and therefore the mismanagement continues. Such is the system. Nobody wants to listen to the problems the party is facing.”
Other leaders claim that there is a nexus between some Congress leaders sitting in Delhi and those who are heading the states. A Congress leader said, “Some of the AICC general secretaries have been given a high position because they will listen to the top few leaders and will do what they will tell them to do. They will work not for the party but to fulfill their own interests.” Another leader at AICC said, “There is one leader who has been made general secretary for the first time. He waits outside the door of Venugopal to meet him. That culture is how we can describe Congress. There is less concern about how the Congress should be uplifted.”
A political observer privy to the developments said, “The BJP on the other hands works effectively and not like Congress. BJP has multiple agencies on ground. If one agency is compromised, there will be more who will give the actual feedback to the leadership. So with such a system in place, there is less probability that things would go against the BJP.
Even if a few leaders are against the central leadership, they won’t have much impact, because they can neither campaign against BJP nor can they mobilise forces against their own party, for such activities will be known by the top leadership of the party. If any unwelcome thing happens, it will be met by a proportionate response from the leadership.”