The Congress is like a rickety vehicle losing a part at every bump. Every election brings more bad news to it. The Grand Old Party’s political footprint is shrinking in all major states of the country. In some it is all but dead and In many it needs the crutch of regional parties. Under Rahul Gandhi’s stewardship it has witnessed some activity but no real sign of revival. Can Priyanka Gandhi make a difference?
Does she bring something to the table that Rahul doesn’t? The talk of protecting the Constitution, corruption, capture of institutions etc is fine but the Congress certainly needs much more than that – a groundswell of support. Under Rahul so far it has found sympathy, bubbles of goodwill, but that has not converted the party into a convergence point of a certain ideological position. The Congress sorely misses a leader who can achieve that with the sheer force of personality. If Priyanka does not fit into that slot, she will be just another Congress leader, more head count than impact.
Before we go deeper, here’s a reality check. The Gandhi surname is not going to help anymore. It lost its popular traction long ago, even before the BJP’s ascendance to power began. More importantly, it lost its authority within the Congress long ago too. For party leaders it was some kind of a glue holding a fragile entity together. They could ignore it when they found it inconvenient. Right now, the party lacks a dedicated cadre and leadership at the lower levels. Since the perks of power and even party positions have been enjoyed by a limited few for long, others become willing prey to poaching by rival parties.
The combined leadership of Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi has not been able to stem the rot. It’s primarily because their focus has been winning elections, not exactly rebuilding the party at the grassroots level. Will Priyanka be able to bring in some change? She is a good communicator, unlike brother Rahul and like him has certain ease in dealing with the masses. She has been involved in managing elections and is no novice to lows and highs of electoral politics. Now that she is a parliamentarian her profile becomes larger.
It doesn’t help the Congress if she stays confined to limited ideas, particularly when the challenge is to take on the mite of the aggressive RSS-BJP complex. The nature of the politics of the latter, interestingly, creates ample scope for the Congress to revive. It can emerge as an effective counterweight to the RSS-BJP with steadfast advocacy of a competing ideology. But it has to be articulated well, and in the language of the masses.
Rahul Gandhi has been talking about protecting the Constitution and its core values, but does it make a difference to ordinary Indians? Their lives were no better under the Congress than it is now. The Constitution was never in the picture then; there’s no reason why it would matter now. The truth is the roots of democracy are too shallow in the country. The ideas of the Constitution are incomprehensible, and useless, to a whole mass of the population outside a very limited circle. The part needs a rethink on it.
Unless Priyanka persuades the Congress for a course correction and takes the leadership in the process, she will be as ineffective as his brother. The Congress is not dead yet, but without grassroots connect it won’t survive for long. The BJP poses a great challenge, but it offers an opportunity too. Will she be the one to grab it? We cannot be sure. Because we don’t know what she brings to the table yet.
(By arrangements with Perspective Bytes)
