Kharge faces uphill task of managing own party workers, opponents

The Congress Working ommittee (CWC) meeting to be held here in New Delhi on Thursday has become important in many ways. First of all, it is a big challenge for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to make a strategy to strike a balance between own people and other adversaries. The CWC meeting may take a final call on dates of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra part 2, apart from discussing strategy for Lok Sabha polls, and assigning responsibilities to new faces and bringing about changes in the organisation. But the real issue is how to deal with the challenges from the opponents as well as people inside the party.
It is being said that Rahul’s Yatra this time will be different from last time. This time Rahul will not walk continuously. He will walk for some time along with the local people in the villages and towns on the way. Needless to say, there is a huge disappointment in the party due to the defeat in three states of Hindi heartland.
Meanwhile, whatever happened in the I.N.D.I.A Alliance meeting held on Tuesday does not bode well for the Congress. However, an impression is being created as if all is well in the alliance. The CWC will also take stock of whatever discussions were held in the opposition alliance on Tuesday. There are indications that many parties are averse to the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. When Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed by TMC and AAP for the post of PM, the message for Rahul Gandhi was clear. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former CM Lalu Yadav, who are nurturing hope of being PM candidate of the alliance bloc, were also said to be upset over this development. This should also come as a setback to the Congress’ plan. SP expressed opposition to bringing BSP along. This was also a blow to Congress’ ongoing efforts in Uttar Pradesh. If sources are to be believed, even within the Congress, a section is not happy about the I.N.D.I.A alliance. This faction believes
that the alliance has suffered losses in the elections in Hindi belt states. The Congress was seen standing with PDP and National Conference who are opposing abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The leaders of the parties such as SP and RJD, who support politics of appeasement, also went against the Congress. By attacking Sanatan Dharma, DMK leaders gave an opportunity to BJP for building a strong narrative having polarisation appeal.