Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) along with the Aam Admi Party (AAP) have not only decimated the once-biggest opposition party in the country, Congress, but the existing people in the party who have managed to win, somehow, are also on the verge of changing sides, furthering the dent. The issues which Congress is facing are not only internal but there is something more important, vital, that lies within the party and has been responsible for its continuous downfall over the years while the same remained unaddressed as well.
Those elements—as it appears—are the lack of internal democracy within the party and those calling the shots; the decision-makers, failing to know the ground realities and calibrating the party accordingly. The high command has remained within the Gandhi family, something, that needs to go for better politics in the country and rejuvenation of the party. At the same time what is more disturbing is that the Congress is being run by those who have ended up becoming seasonal politicians.
The things not only appear grim for the Congress, but at the same time, it might be on its way to falling prey to the break-away faction, ending up fragile, resulting in a total collapse of the party that interestingly ruled India for nearly 60 years.
One of the interesting episodes that recently came to the fore was that a leader of Congress in Goa resigned from the party due to an internal rift before the election. After joining a particular party, he tried to get back into Congress. The Congress refused to welcome him back. He then went on to fight as an independent candidate and then joined BJP.
There have been several such incidents that have been reported, and are not good for the existence of India’s grand old party. Those, who are somehow winning on Congress tickets, might also end up deserting the party—that’s what the signals suggest.
The time has come for Congress to introspect. If the current party leadership is not able to handle the matters, the buck needs to be passed on. There is a need for the change of guard if the party really wants to take on to the BJP in the general elections, if at all it can.
The party, at the end of every election across the country—and particularly after facing defeat—has on record stated that it will identify what went wrong and fix the same, but on the ground, nothing has changed. The way Congress has been purged, it doesn’t seem that it ever was the biggest party. On the other hand, Congress also needs to know that AAP is eating up its whatever-small space available. It really needs to buckle up!
