Friday, March 29, 2024
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Home truths come calling

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By Sondip Bhattacharya

After the disastrous results of the UP Vidhan Sabha and by-elections to one Lok Sabha and 18 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, it is being commonly acknowledged in Congress circles that Rahul Gandhi’s charisma may not be enough to pull the party’s chestnuts out of fire. Forget about the common man, even Congress workers are convinced that the days of rank feudalism are over. No decision can be imposed from the top a consensus has to be evolved after taking all, or most, people into account.

The second home truth confronting the party is this — in wake of the economic policy chaos, the return of Congress after the next general elections look bleak. Congress managers, therefore, feel that their best bet remains Rahul Gandhi taking a more pro-active role in organisational affairs. The debate is, how best to go about it?

Party managers are actively mulling a role for the heir apparent, either in the government or the party, aware that it is not in a position to ruffle more feathers after the rebellions on display by allies Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar. No one in the party wants a situation where Rahul’s elevation — natural though as it may seem — leaves space for potential mutineers in the party ranks.

In other words, larger consultation and consensus are the key words for the party. No one can be imposed from above, not even Rahul. Says Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes, “Decisions in the Congress are taken after a wide consultative process invoking the best of democratic traditions. It involves the core committee and the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Then how come things have reached such a pass? Well-placed sources in the party say after the UP debacle, an informal committee was set up at 10- Janpath, the ginger group comprising Ahmed Patel, Janardan Dwivedi, Oscar Fernandes, Moti Lal Vora, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, A.K. Antony, Digvijay Singh and B.K. Hari Prasad. After much discussion, certain conclusions were arrived at. One, an extensive survey gauging the mood of the party or mood of the nation ought to precede the announcement of a party programme — in a democracy, it is always good to know what people think.

Interestingly, the model chosen for floating such balloons to gauge public mood, is the Sangh template. Salman Khursheed’s rather candid and “critical” take on Rahul Gandhi recently was the first salvo fired in that direction. The second one was the demand raised in some quarters that the Nehru-Gandhi scion be made party vice-president.

Congress sources say the results of these two blanks have been quite unexpected. The proposal to accommodate Rahul in the Union cabinet has been taken lightly, as is his appointment as vice-president because of staunch opposition from senior Congress stalwarts. As it is, there are partymen in UP who are keen to shift to the Samajwadi Party because they have no well-defined role to play. In addition, if the stalwarts too begin to feel threatened with Rahul’s elevation as vice-president, then the Congress will have more insurgents to contend with that it can tackle. Even though it is equally true that in the Congress tradition, once the party high command decides, there are not likely to be too many conscientious objectors. The most offended by the proposal to induct Rahul into the cabinet is Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar because that would mean he would be the natural number 2 after the prime minister and Pawar would be left holding his second- class status.

Says Sangh veteran K.N. Govindacharya, who once famously described Atal Behari Vajpayee as the mask behind the real face and remains an avid political animal, “Changes are bound to occur, whether in politics or in life. People have no time for emotions; materialism is the only driving force. It is the same crisis which both the Congress and the BJP face. I would say that Digvijay Singh would make a better prime minister than Rahul Gandhi.”

Govindacharya’s line is finding resonance within the Congress as well — even if it is in hushed tones. The atmosphere at 24- Akbar Road, the Congress headquarters, has a changed ambiance about it. Party functionaries, who earlier spent time talking to visiting state leaders have been asked to lay off. Visitors are directed to meet their respective state observers and in-charges to streamline the system.

But this has had negative fallout too. Motilal Vora, party veteran from Madhya Pradesh, is known to have ticked off state leaders saying they should spend time in their constituencies and not at Akbar Road. A bitterly divided MP Congress has lodged a complaint against Vora saying that it is thanks to such “national” leaders that local cadres and their local issues are ignored, leading to erosion of the Congress mass base.

At a dinner hosted by Sonia Gandhi for party legislators last week, the Congress president told leaders to regularly keep in touch with the cadres. The number of visitors at 10- Janpath too has gone up, suggesting that both Sonia and Rahul are keeping their lines open with the party rank and file. This is the time for change and preparations for the 2014 general elections are underway.

But true to the party tradition, preparations also means heightened inner-party squabbles, none sharper than the one being currently waged between the Ahmed Patel, Janardan Dwivedi and Ghulam Nabi Azad group against Digvijay Singh. During the presidential election, Diggy was replaced by B.K. Hari Prasad in UP and Assam to woo MPs and MLAs from the states to vote for Pranab Mukherjee.

Discipline is one of the key issues on the party’s agenda and there are indications that dissidence would be met with a firm hand. Party spokespersons have been told to be present for meetings every morning and set the general agenda for discussion or talking points. INAV

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