Momentarily, the history of the congress party is repeating itself in federal and national politics. The Congress is once again confronting a structural and administrative crisis. The emergence of right-wing politics has waned and declined the space for Congress’ claimed democratic and socialistic protocol.
Whether it is the Congress party’s prominent members running out of the party or its awful defeats in local and national elections, it appears as everything is falling apart from the hands of Congress. The party, which enjoyed power for almost half a century, is in a deep confrontation where it is struggling merely for its existence and not for its essence. This is terrible and the uneven complexion of politics.
Most contemporary political commentators and reviewers blame the Gandhian lineage for this slip. They are deeming the Gandhi lineage accountable for the ongoing catastrophe, which has left the congress party hardly in parliamentary opposition.
But is the Gandhi family certainly a burden for the Congress party? To answer this query, we have to go back into the history of Indian politics.
In 1967-1968, Congress was going through the same existential decaying and deterioration they are facing presently. The then central members of the party were similarly trotting after vested interests as the present-day members are coming off. With internal decaying, Congress was losing its superficial shine too.
Unlike the present-day Congress, the then leaders were encountering more sophisticated dilemmas. They were not only suffering interior structural and federal crises but were also confronting economic crises accompanied by mass protests.
Internal conspirators and fierce external opposition tried it’s best to depose the then Gandhi, Indira Gandhi. But she splashed very cautiously by hitting the common person’s mind. She addressed every crisis and managed to recoup both the essence and the party’s political portrait.
Even after enacting a disastrous national emergency, her son, also wielding the Gandhi stamp, made it into the prime minister’s office. After him, Congress continued in power for almost a decade. Then, how can the Gandhi family be a burden for Congress?
The politics of any country is determined by its masses and not by the political figures of the state. History shows us that the masses have perpetually accepted dynastic politics. Identical to the external world, the same is the case with Indian politics. People here are overwhelmingly accepting and cheering for dynastic politics.
Whether it is Tejasvi’s largest single party knock in Bihar, Uddhav Thackeray’s rise in Maharashtra, Owaisi’s consistent wins in Hyderabad or Omar and Mehbooba’s prominent portrayals in Jammu and Kashmir, dynasty politics has always been approved and applauded by common masses.
Sometimes when other interests and issues imply more primacy than dynastic politics, time gives birth to leaders like Rahul Gandhi, who are incapable of nourishing the common person’s interest.
Does this mean that it is a Gandhian mark that is making Rahul Gandhi the burden of the party? The answer is no. His political inefficiency and maybe lack of interest in the field are slipping them into a plunge.
At the same time, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra earns more enthusiastic responses and acknowledgement from people than her mother and brother. People are valuing her even though she hasn’t contested any national elections yet. This exhibits that it is not linage but inefficiency which impacts the final results.
Is The Congress Slipping Down Because Of The Gandhi Family?
Presently, Congress is once again in a deep crisis. It is struggling for its breath and future. Its credibility has fallen. A national party that pioneered welfare in the country is struggling to gain an oppositional position in regional politics. Is it because of the Gandhian stamp marked on Congress or are some other additional elements drowning them?
The founding fathers of Congress established it with a democratic and secular spirit. It was organised to furnish the common person with political space. It was aimed to absorb all the welfare and developmental ideologies.
But momentarily, Congress has abandoned its primary principles. The common man’s space in the party has shrunk and dwindled. The party is continuing with privileged members. Not only the Gandhis but others are enjoying the privilege too.
Secondly, another facet that directed Congress into trouble is the vested interests of its members. Most of its members seem apathetic about its revival to athletic national politics. It appears as they are concerned about their vested interests rather than of the party’s.
The example from the recent Bihar elections is making this assertion more strong. We see the right-wing equipped with all its central faces and we hardly see any prominent congress leaders campaigning for the party’s welfare. Also, Congress has stopped communicating and interacting with the local people. The central figures are completely inefficient to cultivate the common person’s interests.
The final and foremost facet which drowned Congress is national media. The right-wing media fought tooth and nail to worsen the already broken image of Congress.
All these inabilities and inefficiencies are plunging Congress into a dilemma. It’s not the Gandhi association but the Congress’ central, administrative and contemporary undemocratic structure that is barricading Congress. Otherwise, Gandhi’s are an asset rather than a liability for Congress.
Danish Ahmad Lone is studying economics at Aligarh Muslim University and can be reached at danishlone397@gmail.com.