New Delhi: In Congress, most of the things don't change. Victory or defeat, they remain the same. The party has been almost decimated and looks like a tsunami-hit house. While most of the media and ordinary voters are suggesting that the Gandhi family must take the responsibility and make way for non-Gandhis to run the party, the situation within the top rungs of the party is entirely different. They are still backing the Gandhis and even want Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi to take charge as its leader in the Lok Sabha.
A few are even suggesting that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be a better choice for the top post. Surprisingly, most of the MPs don't think that serious allegations of corruption against her husband Robert Vadra were also one of the main reasons for the defeat. Speaking to IBNLive, an old timer who managed to retain his seat this time said "Priyanka should take charge. The MPs will once again back Sonia and Rahul. This defeat is temporary".
It explains what actually ails the Congress. Nobody wants to admit that the country has changed and the Gandhi family can no longer get them votes. They don't even want to acknowledge the fact that it was a vote against dynastic, one family controlled politics of the Congress.
Eminent modern historian Ramachandra Guha said, "This is the main problem with Congress. They don't want to admit that there have been major societal changes and the people are against dynasty."
Another senior leader of the Congress angrily said, "Many of us know that the party has no future with the Gandhis. But, who will bell the cat? It is fear, not exactly the respect, which is keeping the family safe and above all responsibilities."
The Congress has even lost Leader of the Opposition post and the main opposition party status in the Lok Sabha. It will be treated like one of the half a dozen opposition parties. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi may find it very embarrassing to attend the session regularly.
If the NDA with overwhelming majority attacks the Gandhis, the Congress does not even have enough strength to back them and fight for them on the floors of the Lok Sabha. To make it worse, the Congress is surrounded by the hostile regional parties like the AIADMK, TMC, BJD, TRS, YSRCP and even the Left on opposition side. If the Gandhi family comes under attack, both the ruling and the majority of the opposition parties may join hands to settle score with them.
The AIADMK, BJD, TMC, TRS and YSRCP together have 121 MPs in the Lok Sabha. It is almost three times more than the Congress strength of just 44 MPs. These regional parties consider the Congress their enemy number one. The YSRCP, AIADMK, BJD and TMC dislike the Congress too much.
All of them together can cause more trouble and embarrassment for the battered Congress and hurt its ego. Except Kamalnath, who has won 9 consecutive elections, the Congress does not even have another senior leader to take on the government and shield the mother and son in the Lok Sabha.
A senior Congress leader said, "I don't think that Sonia and Rahul would attend Parliament and take part in the proceedings. Congress will be treated like one of the half a dozen opposition parties and it will be very humiliating for us".
Currently the Congress is in power in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. In J&K, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, it is a collation government.
The Congress is expected to lose power in Maharashtra, Haryana and J&K in the October/November Assembly election. Uttarakhand and Jharkhand governments may collapse anytime. After that the Congress will be left with Karnataka, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Assam. Other smaller states don't matter. The Congress's strength in the state assemblies across India is also diminishing at an alarming rate. Because of this, the party won't be able to send some of the leaders to Rajya Sabha through a back door. Most of the so-called top leaders who have no mass support, but wield enormous clout due to their proximity with the Gandhi family are terribly worried about their own future.
Most of the old guard blames Rahul Gandhi and his team for the most humiliating debacle. A leader with grass root support said, "Rahul Gandhi's team ruined us. They know nothing. They are fit to run an NGO, not a political party." Many others also echo his sentiments. But, the question is who will bell the cat?
####Anger and despair compete as Congress comes to grip with helplessness
Comments
0 comment