Shashi Tharoor has been the poster boy of the anglophile Indian elite and their popular choice of what a next-generation non-Gandhi Congress president ought to look like. But truth be told, as a politician, he was probably no more qualified than Rahul Gandhi to lead the second largest and oldest political party of India with a complex history that is in the throes of an existential crisis. Yet, the ideas and vision that Shashi Tharoor brought to the table have immense relevance for the Congress party’s future and survival.
Organisational transformation cannot be brought about through ideas alone. To move the wheels of a juggernaut stuck in a swamp requires heavy-lifting. That is not a one-man job even in this age of technology. It cannot be achieved without the support of an army of volunteers and foot soldiers, which Tharoor clearly was not able to mobilise given the short time at his disposal. But did he strike a chord that can be turned into a symphony either by him or another accomplished orchestra conductor?
Tharoor may not have mass appeal. Still, in his own constituency Thiruvananthapuram, he has displayed the ability to connect with people in an unaffected way despite his Westernised upbringing. Similarly, among the political class and fellow parliamentarians, his relationships cut across party lines, ethnic and cultural background by virtue of his social affability.
Still, when it came to supporting him, most of his erstwhile G23 comrades preferred to go with Mallikarjun Kharge who had the tacit blessing of those who mattered in the party. This included otherwise enlightened and articulate leaders like Manish Tewari who were themselves rooting for change. A couple of young leaders like Karti Chidambaram and Salman Soz came forward to openly campaign for him. Many, as Tharoor himself said, preferred to stay incognito. Therein lies a story.
It has been pointed out that the number of votes Shashi Tharoor polled (1,072 or approximately 12% of the ballots cast) is higher than what other challengers like Sharad Pawar and Jitendra Prasada were able to garner. To be fair, they were pitted directly against Sonia Gandhi. Tharoor’s tally is too small for extrapolating a hypothetical estimate of what would have been the results if the elections were truly free and fair.
The Tharoor camp complained of electoral irregularities and the might of the party establishment marshalled against him and in favour of his opponent. Some of Tharoor’s friends even made allegations of rigging in states like Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Be that as it may, it would be safe to conclude that Tharoor would have lost the battle in any case.
However, the message was registered that the number of people who are unhappy with status-quo in the grand old party is sizable and growing.
Shashi Tharoor’s campaign tagline was ‘Think Tomorrow, Think Tharoor’. His prognosis of the party being stuck in the past was spot on. But where he may have missed the point is that for a vast majority in the party, surviving today is more of an issue than looking at tomorrow. Hence, they have little option but to throw their lot with the present dispensation.
Even the younger crop who have been recruited in various wings of the party have aligned themselves with Rahul Gandhi for a ticket to ride. Many young leaders of substance have left the party seeing little prospects for growth. Some others may also be in the queue waiting for the right opportunity to jump ship. Those committed to the party’s ideology and realised that change is the only way to revive the moribund organisation are biding their time in the hope of a messiah or miracle.
Eighty-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge is aware of his limitations. He does not have either the charisma or energy to lead the party to electoral victories. That responsibility must be borne by the star vote catchers of the party — the Gandhi siblings, Rahul and Priyanka. The task cut out for Kharge is primarily organisational.
While Rahul Gandhi is busy in Bharat Jodo yatra, Kharge’s job will be “Congress Jodo”. For that, he would have to follow many of the remedies prescribed by Dr Tharoor — most importantly decentralisation of authority and empowerment of first rung leaders.
Senior and influential leader Kamal Nath, too, said in an interview that the new president cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach and treat each state differently. This is an ample hint for allowing autonomy to the state satraps. Ashok Gehlot has already signalled his readiness to break ranks if pushed to a corner. Bhupesh Baghel and DK Shivakumar have emerged as forces to reckon with as major financiers of the party. Thus, Kharge’s main challenge will be managing his peers.
Tackling other stalwarts like Jairam Ramesh who have become power centres unto themselves with direct access to the palace is another dimension he will have to contend with. Much will depend on how much independence the Gandhis allow him to be at least the first among equals.
Tharoor in his manifesto had spoken of reimagining the role of the AICC headquarters and broadening participation in decision-making. Will Kharge take on some of these agenda? Many people grow in office to become their own man. Unfortunately, Kharge does not have a long runway before him. He must hit the ground running and show results in the series of upcoming state elections ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Failure to secure some quick wins will make his position vulnerable.
Shashi Tharoor’s major contribution has been to demonstrate that elections are indeed possible. If the Kharge experiment does not work, there will be clamour for another election in the not-too-distant future. In such an eventuality, it is unlikely that Sonia Gandhi will return once again to take over the reins of the party. Rahul Gandhi is known to be shy of setbacks. That is where the importance of someone like Shashi Tharoor, even if not Tharoor himself, will come into play once again.
The author is a current affairs commentator, marketer, blogger and leadership coach, who tweets at @SandipGhose. Views expressed are personal.
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