Now that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has become a contender for the Prime Minister’s post, it is important to explore the challenges he and his organisation are faced with. In 2014, the grand old party had one of the most humiliating outings on the hustings. The Narendra Modi juggernaut symbolised hope and a clean break from a jaded past that the UPA coalition had been associated with. Four key states – UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu accounting for 201 Lok Sabha seats – nearly wiped out the ‘hand’, the party’s symbol, from public consciousness.
So, the Congress gears up for a fresh battle in 2019 from an extremely marginalised position. Given its vastly reduced strength, it is in no position to lead the assault from the front. It needs regional allies more than ever. Many of these so-called friends might not accept Rahul’s candidature as the PM. Even after his new-found popularity – a significant improvement from his much-ridiculed image – he is still considered unequal to the task of running a country. And, why would, for instance, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav and BSP’s Mayawati – who have forged a pact in UP – give up their dreams to facilitate Rahul’s ascent? If the duo at all manages to turn the tide in UP, the Congress will be out of the picture in no time. The scenario in TMC-dominated West Bengal won’t be any different. Rahul may be the towering figure in his own party, but outside of the home in a broad, anti-BJP coalition, he is just one of the many leaders jostling for space and limelight. The party should have persuaded Sonia Gandhi to spearhead coalition talks since she has more acceptability across the spectrum than her son.
Moreover, the Congress doesn’t have a clear manifesto in terms of offering a credible alternative to the BJP. Its brand of politics is mostly reactive, picking up issues to capitalise on the fleeting phase of public angst instead of developing a long-term vision. The party might claim to have units across the length and breadth of the country, but its organisational strength has whittled away over the years. Since the days of Indira Gandhi, the family had clipped the wings of regional satraps, making them completely dependent on the central leadership. That way it might have nullified threats to the dynasty’s overarching influence but it left the state units impoverished.
The Congress still doesn’t have a second rung of leadership, which is being groomed for bigger roles, though Rahul did induct a few young faces in the recent rejig of the Congress Working Committee. The sad truth is that Congress loyalists still believe in the magic of the Gandhis even when there is none. Rahul’s outreach initiatives till now haven’t borne fruits because a coalition still seems too nebulous to be true. If he truly wants the Congress to better its performance, he should improve his own connection with the people by covering as many constituencies as possible. He needs to hit the rocky, dusty, muddy, and parched trails to secure his place in people’s hearts.
