To revive the Congress, leaders must return to the grassroots

The Congress is once again in the news due to internal political contestation. Is this the usual battle between the old versus new leaders, or a more concerted attempt to change the antiquated structure of the party? The Congress is a national party, with a long legacy. But personality-based parties tend to face a problem. As soon as the leader shows signs of weakness, the party starts to collapse. The Congress has been different because barring a brief interregnum in the 1990s, the party has been under the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Indira Gandhi took over after Lal Bahadur Shastri. She chose Sanjay Gandhi as her heir after taking control of the party. She lost the election to the Janata Party in 1977, but Sanjay and his supporters did not lose heart. They fought on the streets. Indira Gandhi’s political experience and Sanjay’s enthusiasm brought her back to power in less than three years.

After Sanjay’s death in an air crash, Rajiv Gandhi entered politics. Even before he had cut his teeth in politics, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984. He became the prime minister (PM) immediately and won the next general elections. But his regime was surrounded by controversy and eventually, he was voted out of office by the newly-formed Janata Dal in 1989. But the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress did not give up. After toppling the Janata Dal government, even as he was contesting the election to return to power, he was assassinated. The Congress then approached Sonia Gandhi, but she did not want to enter politics. This led to PV Narasimha Rao becoming PM. Sonia was forced to take up the leadership of the party. Even under her leadership, the Congress fought a six-year-long struggle, but she then led the party to power in 2004 for a decade.

Rahul Gandhi’s trajectory was different from his mother, father and grandmother. He had ample opportunities to learn the political game. This is why Congressmen were hoping for so much from him in terms of leadership. There have been defeats, but there is hope yet.

When Rahul was party president, the Congress lost the 2019 polls, but remember, the party still had governments in six states and if the organisation could have been strengthened, he could have revived its fortunes. Battles in a democracy are not fought only in an election. Real leaders have to go out to the masses, connect with them on issues which matter, and perhaps even start a movement. The Congress was once known for this mode of politics. But it lost the way, with some leaders establishing a form of feudal politics in the name of the Nehru-Gandhi family. This led to the Congress losing its base, with regional parties becoming stronger in states, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filling the vacuum nationally.

Today, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are leaving no space for the Opposition, even though there are a number of issues which need to be taken up, including the economic downturn, Covid-19 and China. Rahul Gandhi has tried to be vocal on these issues, but the discussion has largely remained on social media. What the Congress needed was to get over its internal politics, go to the streets and raise the issues to win people’s confidence. Today, those who are expressing dissatisfaction are as guilty as others.

Sonia Gandhi has been a successful party president. But age and declining health are against her now. If the Congress is to be saved from collapsing further, Rahul Gandhi will have to take full command. Instead of seeking a synergy of the “old and new”, he will have to find a way to involve those who believe in the grassroots struggles. If he does not want to do so, then the family will have to search for and support a new leadership. This is the only way forward for the Congress.

Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan

The views expressed are personal