India has changed but the Congress party hasn’t

In any functioning democracy what is needed other than a government is a credible and strong Opposition. The Opposition is the checks and balances on those in power and its questions and objections serve to remind the electorate of the ‘other’ perspective. Because in politics, as in life, there is always more than one way of looking at things. While it is the job of the government to make policies and implement them, a good Opposition is needed to point out the flaws and seek a debate on issues.

In India, since 2014, a strong government has played its role. The Opposition, meanwhile, has not only failed to rise to the challenge, it now seems they are incapable of even playing that role. The main focus of course is on the Grand Old Party of India, the Congress Party, which for decades ran the country and laid the foundation of many institutions, besides upholding a social ideal which was a mix of a welfare state, secularism, and tolerance.

2014 has been the most significant year in India’s recent history. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power winning 282 of 543 seats in India’s lower House of Parliament while the Congress got a mere 44 seats. In 2019, the BJP came back with a roaring majority winning 303 seats in the lower House of Parliament. The man credited with the BJP’s victory in both terms has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi who remains a hugely popular figure in the country. Which also leads us to the next logical question: where is the leadership in the Opposition?

For a long time now, many have hoped Rahul Gandhi will one day shake off his reluctant leader image and finally be able to grab the nation’s attention. His Bharat Jodo Yatra ( a march across the length of the country) which is currently on is his latest endeavor and the party to unite the nation. But then as the joke goes, maybe he needs to focus on fixing his party first. A series of high-level defections with most of them joining the BJP has dented his image even further. It’s almost as if nothing is working for the man who most Congress loyalists see as the natural heir to the party legacy. The problem is two-fold: one, the party is in shambles, and two, there is no leader. Rahul has been given enough time and tests, and one failure after the other has proved his lack of credentials and charisma to lead the party or the country. It is time the Congress party, which is almost a dead, comatose institution today, woke out of its deep slumber and saw the changing face of India around.

But therein also lies the paradox. India has changed but the Congress party hasn’t. Indians today do not wish to vote only on the basis of a famous last name but the party believes otherwise. The rise of the Right in India has not seen the Congress fight back for a more Centre-Left vision of India but instead meekly embrace soft Hindutva. Most Indians today are not sure of what the Congress party stands for or what to make of its leader, Rahul. The latest exercise in electing a non-Gandhi president is almost a façade and the general public is amused. It is the latest signal from Rahul that he is unwilling and unable to lead the party and two that the party feels hopelessly lost without a Gandhi holding its hands.

The sad truth is that there is no one today in the Grand Old Party who can challenge the popularity of Modi or even match his skills in connecting with the public. And as a party, the BJP’s organizational skills today are far superior to that of the Congress. Whether it is the connect via social media or regional organisations, the Congress seems to have ceded space without a fight.

But the real loser in all this is the country. For any country to have a truly vibrant democracy, the role of the Opposition cannot be overstated. Regional parties and players like Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi have played that role with far greater distinction. They haven’t shied away from a good fight, whether it is electoral or over the idea of India and that probably is the reason why they remain strong in their respective states. The Congress will need to learn quickly and adapt. Rahul doesn’t sell, so the party needs to find another leader to survive, fight elections and bounce back. But I wouldn’t bet on that. Chances are that the party will die a natural death in the sycophant chorus of Gandhi chants.

- The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi