“Congress leadership uninspiring; Rahul Gandhi perpetuating outdated Darbar style politics”: Sanjay Jha

There has been an ideological obfuscation of late, which we cannot deny. I think the several electoral reverses, in particular, the two Lok Sabha routs we have experienced, has left the party leadership confused. It does not help that the party has not held a candid free-for-all exchange on these critical issues within. There is no internal dialogue. We are hallucinating or allowing whimsical decisions which are taken unilaterally by individuals or a coterie. These can have serious long-term repercussions. That is precisely what got Anand Sharma agitated on aligning with ISF in West Bengal, which has allegedly made some rather provocative statements in the past. The BJP’s relentless charge of “minority appeasement” has not been handled well at all. After so many years, how many Congressmen have even read the AK Antony report? So yes, Congress must go back to being a centrist party, truly secular, instead of merely pontificating on the same.

“The Congress has never been the same since Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. And although the UPA was in power between 2004-14, we attenuated organisationally. Politics is about simple math; you are as good as your last win. The Gandhi family political brand has definitely weakened considerably. But a week is a long time in politics. Things change. But at the moment, we are drifting like a leaf down a river swamped by the currents”

What is this stand taken by G-23? Is it just Old Guards vs New Gen, or is there something more to it?

The G-23 has a straightforward, unambiguous objective: Strengthen the Grand Old Party. They are disillusioned and perhaps express the opinion of millions of Congress supporters and workers. Let us be honest; currently, Congress is at the bottom of its lowest ebb. Yes, we can lose elections, but what is most exasperating and unforgivable is that there is zero deliberations on why we have been faring disastrously. There is no biopsy done of our defeat. Introspection, as a word, has become a joke. There is no Old vs Young Armageddon here. After all, even Manish Tewari, Milind Deora and Shashi Tharoor, etc., are part of G-23. It is about solving our existential crisis. G-23 is about the future of Congress because only Congress can battle the BJP juggernaut under PM Modi.

I think the Congress over-reacted; it was an infantile amateurish response to my serious essays calling for a Congress renewal. As I have said earlier, it is appalling that Congress never seriously deliberated on its mammoth losses. We have great talent that is routinely discarded. Only a few favoured bunches call the shots. I was perturbed at what was going on; people would meet me and tell me that they felt that Congress was abdicating its responsibility as a serious opposition party. I had no other forum except to write publicly to wake up the sleeping giant. I don’t mind being sacked as long as the party resuscitates itself. It cannot live in denial forever. But yes, the abrupt termination, which I first heard on a TV channel without even being heard, was disappointing.

The young are restless. They have ideas, dreams, ambitions. Why shouldn’t Sachin Pilot hope to be a Chief Minister in his early 40s? Wasn’t Rajiv Gandhi PM at the age of 40 too? Remember, we did not just lose Jyotiraditya but our political arrogance cost us Madhya Pradesh as well. There is only one reason why they are all disenchanted: the top party leadership’s inability to lead a fightback. There is no strategic thinking; we have become transactional. There is an obsession with the Gandhis; everyone else is at the bottom of the staircase. This political culture needs to change.

Congress has undone all the hard work of 2017. This is called political hara-kiri. It is an act of sweet surrender. At the core, Congress has become like a dinosaur; old fashioned, rigid, slow to adapt, and sloppy in execution. It has extraordinarily committed karyakartas, but they are treated shabbily. Chamchas rule. But why are you surprised? When did the Congress last win the Assembly elections in Gujarat? 1995. It is confounding. Even after decades, Congress remains a peripheral player in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. We just vanished into the blue. We are a lazy party, directionless and have an uninspiring leadership.

There are many; no internal democracy, demotivated workers, lack of decentralised decision-making, top-down High Command culture, absence of regional and state leaders, poor communications and pathetic marketing. We need to engage more with our people. The Delhi Darbar style is antiquated. I was hoping Rahul Gandhi would change that. But so far, he seems comfortable in perpetuating it.

The Nehru-Gandhi family has played an extraordinary role in our country’s political destiny. Many of their contributions have been exemplary, breakthrough initiatives that propelled India into the big league. Naturally, for the Congress, they were an assured mascot; their mere presence galvanised the party. But the Congress has never been the same since Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. And although the UPA was in power between 2004 and 2014, we attenuated organisationally. Politics is about simple math; you are as good as your last win. The Gandhi family political brand has definitely weakened considerably. But a week is a long time in politics. Things change. But at the moment, we are drifting like a leaf down a river swamped by the currents.

Frankly, our numbers are abysmal at 44 and 52 in the last two Lok Sabha elections. But beyond that, we should have been the fulcrum of a buoyant opposition. While Congress did mobilise support on the CAA, migrants issue, farmers’ protests, oil prices etc. we have not been able to rally our allies together. When the mothership itself becomes weak, the others drift away. And a weak opposition is unhealthy for democracy.

Hunger and hard work! I have always admired the Modi-Shah jodi’s appetite for electoral triumphs. Rahul says the Congress ideology is the Idea of India itself. Fair enough, but to propagate your ideology and policies, you need to win elections. I don’t agree with the saam-daam-dand-bhed kind of politics or Operation Lotus etc., but I believe BJP works extremely hard. JP Nadda talked about covering pan-India states within 100 days after the Bihar win. Mr Modi campaigns vigorously. Amit Shah is indefatigable. BJP thinks long-term. The Congress by comparison, loves to have a long afternoon siesta after a seven-course buffet meal. Instead, it should be lean, mean and hungry like a marathon runner.