New Delhi: The leadership crisis in the Congress has resurfaced amidst widespread concern over who should head the Grand Old Party, the Gandhis or a non-Gandhi. If the preference is for the Gandhis, the choice then boils down to Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi. Therein lies the problem.
The July letter, in which 23 party veterans flagged the leadership issue to interim president Sonia, being made public a day before the all-powerful Congress Working Committee debates the issue on Aug 24, shows that all is not well within the party many believe is adrift after its downfall began in 2014 with the advent of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led by PM Narendra Modi.
While the BJP is getting stronger, despite several flaws and economy and security related challenges, the Congress appears to be in limbo and needs to look within to find out answers to its sorry state of affairs and prevailing despondency.
The leadership crisis is not new. The party faced it in 2014 when then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi offered to resign after the party reached its lowest-ever Lok Sabha tally of 44/543 seats.
Five years later, the party again faced it in May 2019 when then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi resigned owing responsibility for the Lok Sabha poll results in which the party could only get 52/543 seats.
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Many saw that as a move to shield Rahul from criticism but the writing on the wall was there for all to see including the Gandhis.
Sensing the popular mood, Rahul urged the party to find a non-Gandhi to lead the Congress which after a lot of brainstorming had to settle down with Sonia as interim chief.
As Sonia completed one year in office on Aug 10 the leadership issue has become more pronounced amid strong hints that Rahul might be back in the saddle. For the veterans, it is like being back to square one.
A day ahead of the crucial CWC meet, Sonia throwing the gauntlet and asking the veterans to choose a new leader has once again started shadow boxing between the loyalists of Rahul Gandhi and those who are averse to him.
Rahul’s presidency in 2017 was followed by three significant wins in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assembly elections in 2018 and had given much hope to the party strategists of regaining lost ground in the 2019 national elections but the outcome was a nightmare they had feared for long.
This year the party lost both Jyotiraditya Scindia and the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh to the BJP mainly due to indecisiveness and infighting. In Rajasthan, the Ashok Gehlot government had a narrow escape from a power-hungry BJP.
Today the Congress rules only in Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry and shares power in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. It is virtually non-existent across big states like Uttar Pradesh, Bengal and Bihar, which will have polls in a few months.
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Last year, the party lost its coalition government with Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka to a power-hungry BJP as several party lawmakers in Goa joined the saffron party and TRS in Telangana.
When Sonia was full-time president from 1998-2017, her leadership style was acknowledged as consultative and going by consensus, a trait that brought her back as interim chief. She is still regarded both by the old-timers and the youngsters for this trait and is believed to be a cementing force in the Congress. But she has health issues and the Congress needs someone who can steer the party over the next decades.
Rahul taking over the reins of Congress in 2017 had marked a generational change in the grand old party but his decision to quit last year had surprised many.
The Congress needs to address critical gaps in its party organisation, promote new regional leaders, give them key party roles and be seen as fighting for the issues like joblessness, sliding economy, communal divide, the plight of the poor and the widespread farm crisis, affecting the people.
However, to be able to do that effectively, Congress first needs to set its own house in order. If the opts for a non-Gandhi Congress chief, the person may not get a free hand if not endorsed by the Gandhis, who will continue to exert their influence.
Those who bats for Rahul, point out he has single-handedly taken on PM Modi and his policies since last year. Also, his managers have been working constantly at an image makeover and cited the recent interactions with international experts on the economy and Covid-19 as signs of a leader with a deep understanding of policy issues.
Recently, when expelled Congressman Sanjay Jha, talked about such a letter, the party quickly denied it and questioned his motives. But within days the issue has come to haunt the party managers.
Congress should confront reality rather than try to escape it to connect with the voters again.
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