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| INC - SOS button pressed into service | | | Mahadeep Singh Jamwal | 8/22/2019 10:49:25 PM |
| Generally when we stumble upon the words 'SOS', we take it as a distress call meaning 'Save our soul' but when we have to apply it to the nomination of Madam Sonia Gandhi, as acting president of the Congress party, it carry combination of 'Save our soul' as well as "Same old stuff'. The rosy picture of Congress is losing its colors and aroma from the portrait of the India and coping for its entity and decision of highest congress committee can be taken as pushing of the 'SOS' button. The congress graph that sank to the ever lowest number of seats in 2014 and it was party's ever worst performance in a national election. If we have to fix a few of the logics for exclusion of Congress in 2014, we can easily sail through; it was because of several years of poor economic conditions in the country and growing discontent over a series of corruption scandals. Congress stepped into elections in 2019 with an assumption of perfection forgetting that perfection is a delusion. Perfection requires someone else to be inferior in order to win and this aspect was badly missing. The results came in the shape of crashing of the hopes of its comeback in 2019. The humiliating defeat of Congress in general has been construed as because of un-acceptable and immature leadership that remain hovering around one family. After adamancy of sitting President of the Congress to quit Presidency of the Congress, the division within congress about a person for President-ship out of the canopy of Gandhi family, the highest decision-making body of the party, turned to Sonia Gandhi's experience, to lead it in what the CWC described as "trying times". She returned as party president almost 20 months after making way for his son Rahul Gandhi in December 2017. Sonia has led the party for almost 19 years before she quit the post citing health reasons. She returned to the helm of the party two months after the Congress suffered a massive drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, under Rahul Gandhi's leadership. The retention of Presidential post again in the 'Gandhi Parivar' although it is as acting President, has reminded us of an idiom "andha bantey rewari, mud mud apno ko dey". We cannot deny the facts that young, educated, energetic Rahul Gandhi gave a new sense of aggression and modernity to the party organization and opened up numerous opportunities to the younger generation, but its effects failed to infuse new sensations in the party and to prove as catch phrase for voters. To the sinking ship of Congress, many may argue it is because of an incompetent Rahul Gandhi or a loss of political vision - but the truth is that age old memories of good Congress that was the ideology of one generation has faded away as this generation has now slipped into the heaven and young India looks for the things in scientific way rather than to be influenced otherwise. Today Congress party has nothing to offer apart from age old promises of dole-outs and freebies that already stand time tested as the keys of the treasury house lies with BJP led government that can deliver in shape and material.
Pre partition history of Congress carries us to the year 1885, when The Indian National Congress was formed but by British members of the Theosophical society. It became a vital player during the struggle for Indian Independence and was lead by illustrious lawyers of the time which includes Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Bhulabhai Desai, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhimrao Ambedkar among others. Since its formation in 1885, Sonia Gandhi as acting President is the 88th President in row, 58 before partition in 62 years and 19 after the partition in 71 years. After 1947, The Gandhi family controlled the party as party President for 39 years: Pt. JL Nehru for 4 years, Smt. Indira Gandhi for 7 years, Rajiv Gandhi for 6 years, Madam Sonia Gandhi for 19 and Rahul Gandhi for 3 years. Post independence, Congress became the leading political force of the country, which remained unchallenged for almost the whole of the first 25 years after India Independence. Free mind carry us to the facts that in actuality Congress virtually invented the politics of the poor in India. Congress took it to new levels creating a mechanism more interested in giving handouts and is blamed for inventing a culture of scams transforming to as fountain head of corruption. Moving towards creating only vote bank, it nurtured the idea of reservation during their rule and it was made institutionally blind to the economic backwardness of an aspirant, ensuring the robustness of the vote bank politics. This commendation further colored the reality when the visionary and root level recognized leaders of India transformed to be answerable to a family and not to the population of India. Liberalization and 49 years long rise in corruption and nepotism, which became a norm in the Indian system of governance. Young India doesn't want to stand in line for jobs; it is looking for better governance, better service, better infrastructure and better opportunities that had been taken as missing prints during Congress rule. The Congress is required to introspect on the issues that can help it to draw the intentions of the common man and they may think of voting for Congress again. I like to cite the words of Criss Jami, US author of several books, poetry and philosophy, that require to be gone through by the Congress in a situation at present it is facing: "The barrier during self-improvement is not so much that we hate learning, rather we hate being taught. To learn entails that the knowledge was achieved on one's own accord - it feels great - but to be taught often leaves a feeling of inferiority. Thus it takes a bit of determination and a lot of humility in order for one to fully develop" and "The logic behind patriotism is a mystery. At least a man who believes that his own family or clan is superior to all others is familiar with more than 0.000003% of the people involved." The high command syndrome which decided party matters earlier at national and state matters was extended at local levels with no connect with party functionaries at ground zero. The absence of a strong leader within the Congress is another significant factor for decline of acceptance of the party. In the run up, we trace that Congress had returned back with thumping majority in the past, once rejected by the voters, but we realize that the leadership and party organization were in equilibrium and equally strong with no major opposition to challenge its supremacy, but now the tables have turned to a new twist with a strong ruling party whereas discarded party does not have a strong leader and workable structure. |
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