Country’s oldest and strongest Congress Party has disintegrated; the party’s loyal and strong grassroots leaders are leaving the party, and joining its biggest rival Bharatiya Janata Party that, too, when Lok Sabha elections are round the corner. This defection of Congress leaders is surprising; the ongoing process of leaving the party only underlines the pitiful condition and dark future of this oldest party. Although some BJP leaders and some other parties have also gone to the shelter of Congress, in comparison the number of its leaders leaving Congress is much more. The question is why did such conditions arise for a democratic organization to go into the abyss? A review of its reasons is necessary. Congress Party has not only been continuously losing, but is also breaking and disintegrating its support base, despite these big reasons– the top leadership of the party neither reviewed nor analyzed the reasons lying behind. Congress is branded with dynasty and filial piety. There is no internal democracy in the party. Top leadership is incapable of taking decisions. There is no policy for the welfare of the majority community of the country. Appeasement policy and blatantly communal agenda are also proving fatal for him. Despite these big reasons, due to silence in the party, many responsible and courageous leaders are leaving the party or have gone away. Today’s top Congress leadership has become so much ‘entrenched’ with communal, anti-social, selfish, sycophantic and anti-national elements that it has become difficult to get out of it. There is a snake-rat situation. Neither does it come out nor spits out. The Congress leadership suffers from the illusion of gaining power and the phobia of losing it.
The party leadership should be surprised at many leaders leaving the Congress, but this is hardly the case, because Rahul Gandhi usually neglects his duty by terming such leaders as cowards or opportunists. He and his close ones are not ready to see and understand the reasons as to why these leaders are leaving the party one after the other. The joining of BJP by Ravneet Singh, grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, is a big blow to the Congress Party, because Punjab is one of those states where the Congress looks relatively strong and the BJP is seen as the third-fourth party. The situation is similar not only in Punjab, but also in Maharashtra, Himachal and other provinces. This fact should not be ignored that among those who have left Congress were considered close to Gandhi family, like Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, Suresh Pachauri. Before this, most of the leaders who were said to be members of Rahul Gandhi’s youth brigade have also left Congress. A large number of leaders who have left Congress are those who have their independent political dominance and identity and are known for their own support base among the masses. Among the leaders close and sycophantic to the Gandhi family, there are very few who have the ability to win elections on their own.
The question is why did Congress fall in this situation? The Congress leaders of the past, who kept the diversity, character and culture of the country intact, before whose statues and pictures we bow our heads and offer flowers, were not ignorant. Today such national thinking and sense of public welfare are being denied and such leaders are being called ‘short-sighted’. Gradually, the big-thinking workers working at the grassroots level in the Congress decreased, and the number of sycophants has increased, which is responsible for the disintegration of Congress. Time is seeing all this and is also giving a harsh slap. Congress is no longer credible and moral and power cannot be held without trust and morality. A golden vessel is needed for the lioness’s milk. Congress is not fulfilling its national responsibility and organizational responsibility with political skill in an ethical manner. Instead of cursing the darkness, it would have been better if someone had lit a candle at the party’s tomb. Time has taught us that the power to illuminate has become dull. The result of this is that the number of leaders leaving Congress is increasing rapidly, from this it seems that a campaign like leaving the party is going on. Rahul Gandhi may feign that the departure of Congress leaders does not affect the health of the party, but the truth is that now it seems to be making a difference. The results of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will make this difference even more vivid. Some leaders are not willing to contest the elections and some have taken back their steps after being declared candidates. Congress may be showing that it is capable of countering the BJP, but it is not hidden from anyone that it could not give the shape to the front led by it, the India Grand Alliance, which was expected. Congress cannot blame anyone else other than itself for coming to this pass. The decline of Congress is not a good sign, because it is a national party in the true sense compared to BJP. There is no other national party which has its roots across the country. A strong opposition is also necessary in a democracy, but the ruling party cannot worry about its strength.
The top leadership in the Congress party has become weak. Due to dynasty politics and nepotism, the Congress party is sinking day by day. Earlier, public welfare was the first priority for Congress leaders, but today anti- Modi policies are their priority. In the name of anti-Modi, she sometimes starts opposing the nation; this change in her priority has also weakened the party. Congress is also becoming weak because of its appeasement policy. If she doesn’t change this policy, her condition will go from bad to worse. It has come to be understood that no party can rule the country by angering the majority community of the country. What Rahul Fake Gandhi says, what he thinks, no clear message is communicated to the general masses? A decision is taken in Congress which is not a decision at all. People don’t understand what has been said. For this reason, many leaders have gone into the background, but are giving the impression that we are on the stage. Many are standing on the stage, but it seems that someone is ‘prompting’ them. It is no better than a puppet show which does not say anything on its own behalf. She carries out the tasks whatever she is asked to do. She doesn’t even claim to be anything else than a puppet. This may work in a family but a national party cannot be run like this. Centuries have to suffer the consequences of moments. Wrong thinking, wrong decisions and wrong motivation of the top leadership tear apart the fabric of not only the party, but also the nation, the same is happening in the Congress Party. The entire country is replete with examples of Congress Party’s immature politics and mismanagement. In such a situation, the question arises that will Congress, which was limited to 52 seats in Lok Sabha in 2019, be able to retain its current position in 2024? It seems that the policies and leadership of the Congress Party are bent on proving true to BJP’s ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’ campaign!
The author is a Writer, Journalist, Columnist
