Once the results of the five assembly states came in, the immediate focus was on the Congress Party. Admittedly no one expected it to touch double digits in Uttar Pradesh there were expectations that the party would perform well in Goa, Uttarakhand, and Punjab— perhaps even win a couple of these states. That did not happen. The Working Committee that followed too did not throw any surprises with the party faithful throwing their weight behind the Gandhis. Except for a few murmurs here and there, it seems to be business as usual for the Congress.
But the television debates and editorials have been having a field day debating the state of the Grand Old Party. There is a valid reason for this concern for Congress is the only Pan India opposition party. If it does not take on the BJP then there is little chance of an opposition combine coming to power in 2024.
Then comes the obvious question. Should Congress change its leadership and do away with the Gandhis? That is easier said than done for I agree with all those who claim that the Gandhis are the glue that are holding the party together. To make this point democratically the party needs to hurry up and hold its internal elections. For one, will any credible leader stand against Rahul Gandhi. And if he or she does, how many votes will they poll against Rahul. That itself will answer this question. My guess is that rival egos and turf wars will not allow a Sachin Pilot, Shashi Tharoor, Ashok Gehlot or Bhupesh Baghel to emerge as a serious contender, even though all these names have their USP.
So then what is the solution? What if the Gandhis take the role of a trustee (which in a sense they are), retain control of the organisation in a RSS kind of way, but stay out of electoral politics. I am not suggesting a repeat of the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi equation for the party now needs a stronger leader to take on Modi, someone with a mass connect, oratorical skills and a governance story to back his/her candidature. That way the Gandhis could still keep their control of the organisation but they could share the controls with other leaders, open the door for power-sharing, and for differing points of views.
Yes, if the said person gains control he/she may try and take over the party, a la Narasimha Rao, and yes there will be turf wars but at least there will be a party to fight over. The way things are going the party is in a self-destruct mode. It is leaving a vacuum for other more ambitious players from the Opposition camp to step into – such as Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Bannerjee.
Hence while I don’t agree with historian Ramchandra Guha’s conclusion that the Gandhis should quit, I do agree with his reasoning that the presence of the Gandhis gives Modi the chance to deflect from the real issues and focus on their inadequacies. So keep the Gandhis but keep them in the background, and have a more credible face in the foreground. Someone who knows the difference between patronage and being patronising.