The expected defection of RPN Singh, a promising leader from Eastern Uttar Pradesh to the Bharatiya Janata Party on the eve of the Assembly elections is yet another blow for the Congress in general and the Gandhis in particular. The former Union Minister belongs to an old Congress family and had been given many responsibilities by the High Command during his 32 years with the organization. His leaving the Congress was a matter of time since he had been in talks with the Saffron brigade for over two years when his colleague Jitin Prasada was also being wooed by the BJP. After Jitin left, it was a foregone conclusion that he too would not stay for too long. What should be worrying for the Gandhis is that all these generation-next leaders from Jyotirditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh, Sushmita Dev and Priyanka Chaturvedi enjoyed their trust. However, all of them chose to seek greener pastures on the Saffron side since they found their future blocked in the Congress; they were unable to win the last few elections or in Priyanka Chaturvedi’s case was denied a ticket, and thus had apparently run out of patience. There is already strong speculation that Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, and Manish Tewari amongst others could also be reviewing their future options given that they do not seem to have a bright future in the Grand Old Party.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had in an interview last week made it clear that no attempt would be made to stop anyone who wished to leave thereby implying that if anyone was wanting to defect, he or she could do so right now. There is also a talk in party circles that none of those who had left had any political gravitas and were being unnecessarily pampered by the central leadership which knew all along that they were not heavyweights, but in the process of proving their political credentials. However, equally important matter is that the Gandhis must introspect to understand why this exodus was taking place. Granted that the leaders in question did not bring much to the table in the last couple of elections but their going away has created a negative perception regarding the style of functioning within the party. What must be haunting the first family is that history appears to be repeating itself. All these younger leaders were close to Rahul and Priyanka and are doing the same thing that old friends of Rajiv Gandhi did to him in the second half of the 1980s.
Rajiv was a gentleman who enjoyed protection from old Indira loyalists but those he encouraged to assist him in politics such as Arun Nehru, Arun Singh, and Amitabh Bachchan, all stabbed him in the back and chose to opt for other choices. If the Congress out survived the exit of these important players, enjoying proximity to the former Prime Minister, it was primarily because those chosen by his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi continued to serve the party. In fact, till today, most of the senior leaders including some of those who are a part of G-23 were picked up and groomed by Sanjay Gandhi.
This raises a very serious question on why the current Gandhis were not able to develop new leadership which can help in serving the organization in the coming years. The only good choice that Rahul for instance has made so far is that of Charanjit Singh Channi, who regardless of what the outcome in the border state would be, has positioned himself for bigger things. The irony is that during Sonia Gandhi’s prolonged innings as the party chief, the Congress came to power at the Centre and in more than a dozen states but after that rapidly started losing in the polls. The reason was that no heed was paid to strengthening the organization which is the backbone of any political exercise or adventure. This importance of the organization is best showcased by how the BJP has grown despite having an alternate ideology and methods.
In Delhi, the Congress allowed Sheila Dikshit to remain the Chief Minister but the organization structure was destroyed beyond repair. Similar examples can be given from other states as well which forced promising Congress leaders to leave and form their own organisations or join hands with the BJP. The examples of Himanta Biswa Sharma, Jaganmohan Reddy and Mamata Banerjee are there for all to see. RPN Singh’s leaving should act as a wake-up call. He was close to many senior leaders but the High Command could never anticipate that he could let the party down on the eve of a crucial poll. In fact, he joined the BJP, a day after being named as a Star campaigner. Priyanka has been campaigning very aggressively in UP but her efforts shall come to a nought once the results are declared. The only way Gandhis can retain their hold over the party is by becoming accessible and by ensuring that those who are close to the power centres in the Congress are people who can comprehend the complexities of politics instead of alienating the rank and file.