Journalist
After the defeat of 1977 Lok Sabha election the most powerful leader of South Asia, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi humbly accepted the defeat. And said, “I have led the party for 11 years. Now the responsibility for the faliure is on me.” Can anyone finds any comment like his grandmother from Rahul Gandhi after a series of electoral defeats since 2009. Indira Gandhi also accepted that during emergency some of the “excess” done by her government was one of the reason for her defeat. But within three years she came back into power with thumping majority. Actually, humility had paid her political dividends.
Since 2009, when Rahul started to play affirmative role in decision making, out of 84 assembly elections Congress party lost in 77 state elections. Number of MLAs have come down to one third. The story of Bihar is dismal. A national party contested 65 assembly seats won only 6. In Congress party there is no accountability. Congress party, especially Rahul Gandhi does not introspect about the failure. A routine enquiry is constituted whose report has not seen daylight. Another election comes. And Congress party faces same fate year after year.
If one analyze the behavioral pattern of Rahul Gandhi, so sign of remorse is seen in his attitude. Actually he is living on a ‘family legacy’ and did not come out from the image of ‘Yuvoraj’. Historians say that no dynasty survives beyond fifth generation unless they changed themselves according to the aspirations of the new generation. One may recollect the famous film of legendary film maker Satyajit Ray’s ‘Jalsaghor”,where dying zeminder desparate top maintain their legacy in same spirit as they used to behave in their golden era.
More News: Bengal’s economy poised for a phenomenal leap
Nobody knows whether another Gandhi sibling Priyanka Gandhi Wadhera would sign in the national polity if she is given freedom to work. She is under the shadow of brother Rahul and could not emerge independently. Family sources sometimes say their mother Sonia Gandhi is still putting her all political investments on Rahul Gandhi. In one occasion she told this correspondent Indian media should focus on Rahul Gandhi.
It is the Congress party which brought “highcommand” culture in the political system. But continuous electoral defeat of the party has diluted the strong central authority of the leadership. Congress party could not come out from the disease of psycophancy. The leaders whose job is not to find fault with the highcommand are given plum position. Leaders who have no mass base are selected to decide the political fate of the party.
It is not true that Rahul did not try to reaching out to masses. His “Bharot Jodo” jatra has definitely given political benefit in the last Lok Sabha poll. Congress party increased their tally to 99 from a mere 44 of 2019 election. One major problem is with Rahul that he does not like to take up responsibility. After the Lok Sabha poll he was supposed to build party and consolidate the unity of the opposition parties. But his inconsistency for regular political work for 24×7 is missing. Unless the party realizes the root cause of the defeat, it is impossible to revive the party in near future.
