The year 2021 is ending for the Congress pretty much how it began: confusion, leadership tussle, deep infighting, and poll losses. Only one thing seems clear. Which is because while Rahul Gandhi comes across as the reluctant Congress president, he calls the shots. From deciding on the party’s policies, to choosing chief ministers, to troubleshooting— the road seems to be leading to 12 Tughlak Lane where Rahul Gandhi stays. Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath increasingly seems like a small detour as she remains interim president.
The first big blow in 2021 came from Rahul Gandhi’s new home state Kerala. In the state polls held earlier this year, the Congress was completely wiped out. It got a zero in West Bengal where the alliance with the Left did not work. In exchange, it earned an enemy in the Trinamool Congress, which is brazenly poaching from the Congress in Haryana, Assam, Goa and other states. But the most stinging loss was in Kerala, a state Rahul Gandhi happens to be an MP from. Even there the party’s policies and strategies seemed faulty and it lost, with the Left coming back to power once again. The only state it managed to stay in power was Tamil Nadu but that too because it was riding piggyback on the DMK. As the party looks at and prepares for the return of Rahul Gandhi as the helm, 2021 is a lesson in how faulty its policies and chaotic its decisions have been.
Flawed decisions
The first was the decision to go into an alliance with the Left. The Left’s vote bank has been shrinking over years and for the Congress to tie up with it seemed pointless. It also meant that it alienated the TMC forever. But what was really suicidal was an alliance with the radical Furfura Sharif leader Abbas Siddiqui.
At an open rally in Kolkata’s Brigade Ground, Congress state chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was snubbed by Abbas. The Congress was criticised for its alliance with Abbas as it was hurting its new Hindutva push. The Congress distanced itself from Abbas but the damage was done. Worse, its confused stand on whether to attack Mamata Banerjee or be soft on her led to confusing signals to its cadre and the Congress paid the price by getting a nought. What was even more confusing was that after attacking Mamata Banerjee during the polls, it decided not to field any candidate opposite her in the Bhabanipur bypoll. It didn’t earn her friendship because soon Mamata set her eyes on the national picture and began to eat into the Congress. Sushmita Dev was the first big loss when she switched over the TMC.
In Assam, too, the understanding with Badruddin Ajmal hurt the image of the Congress and the dilemma over an alliance with him cost the Congress the state polls. The story was the same in Kerala, where the Congress lost the traditional Christian votes and could not project an alternative to the good governance record of the Left government. Here too all calls were taken by Rahul Gandhi.
High-command culture
Sources say the Gandhis were fed up with the weak leadership narrative about them. And so they decided to show who was the boss. And it was Punjab that was used as the laboratory. Bad blood had been brewing between the party and Captain Amarinder Singh. The Gandhis had made up their mind that the Captain would have to go but they wanted the exit to be delicate and tactful. However, it was anything but that. The Captain is angry and in the mood for revenge. His tie-up with the BJP could hurt the Congress and trigger exits from the deeply divided party.
Worse, the entire purpose of Rahul Gandhi to ensure that the party and government work in coordination has failed. The Charanjit Channi vs Navjot Sidhu tug of war is on and shows no sign of ebbing. In Chhattisgarh too the promise made by Rahul Gandhi that TS Singh Deo would be made chief minister is easier said than done. Baghel as an OBC has developed clout and is likely to make things difficult for the Gandhis.
Similar now seems to be the situation in Uttarakhand where the Gandhis desire to promote Yashpal Arya and shift out Harish Rawat may hurt them in the polls. And though Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan seems to be silent for now, he is unlikely to be for long. It’s a decision that has to be taken soon and though the Gandhis want to show the party that they are the boss, it may not be easy. Not many are now willing to accept the high-command culture. Certainly not the G23, or group of 23 dissidents, who are waiting to see the state poll results before they strike back. In fact, Ghulam Nabi Azad has been doing rallies in the Valley to show his clout and sources say his communication with the Gandhis is nearly zero.
Angry with no cause?
But as it’s inevitable that Rahul Gandhi would take over the reins of the party, many of his utterances in recent times have confused the Congress. His Hinduism vs Hindutva narrative, blaming the PM for lynching incidents, etc, have left many in the Congress uncomfortable. They say, “It’s something that we do not need to enter into. It can only hurt us.”
But party national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate told News18.com, “I am glad he made this distinction. I am a devout Hindu but I disagree with what the BJP does in the name of religion.”
Says Kapil Sibal, “Our focus should be on pressing issues like employment, rising prices. It’s safer and more important.”
Challenges before Rahul as he gets set to take charge
One of the key hurdles in front of Rahul is acceptability by opposition parties. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut may have defended him but to be accepted by Mamata, Sharad Pawar, etc, may be tougher. And this is what he needs now. More importantly, not everyone in the party is comfortable with his style of working. Sonia Gandhi’s advantage has been being accommodating, even with those she never agreed with. Rahul’s staccato style may lead to more exits. His next big challenge is to ensure that there isn’t a further exodus. A “my way or the highway” style may not work anymore as parties like the TMC and AAP are ready to pounce.
As the Congress prepares for the upcoming assembly polls, all eyes are on the Rahul Gandhi-led campaign. A loss may bring the knives out. Many may still find it easy to defend him. But the Congress would be pushed back further in the race to lead an opposition front.
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