Every election has a lesson for all political parties. But for congress, it is futile, considering their unwillingness to learn from a series of their past mistakes. The performance of India's oldest political party in the festival and extravagance of elections is a matter of deep sense of anger, agony and trauma. Every occasion, congress assured introspection but willy-nilly they did not get time to contemplate the real reasons. But they should thank Mr. Modi for imposing lock-down which would have given them sufficient time to ponder over their consistent failures.
The party has gone through many roller-coasters in elections since independence, certainly not new for them! However, fortune is taking long time to change unlike earlier. The ignominious defeat few months back, rather surrender before a nascent political party in Delhi where congress ruled for 15 years was no less than shameful. In a tug of war between BJP and Congress, AAP got the walk-over as congress chose to play under AAP cap .
The party has gone from zenith to nadir. And in this free-fall, no one seems to be willing to put a net below, as if hara-kiri is inevitable. The entire party is in shambles. The sycophants forming the cabal have over-dominating clout which prevents any free and fare advice to the family that matters.
For any democracy to function with proper checks and balances, a strong opposition should co-exist. It was the absence of an opposition as a deterrent which culminated into the “Shah-Bano Case” which haunts the congress till day. And it will continue to do so as an epitome of minority appeasement. There are so many occurrences which remain inexplicable for congress, in fact inexcusable too. Can anyone deny that the number of constitutional amendments that occurred on the whims, fancies and adventurism of congress leadership was not on account of their thumping majority in both the houses and negligible opposition.
Coming back to the results of various elections, the relevance of Gandhi family is fading in tilting the swing in their favor. Congress got duck in Delhi poll results which they were sure of, but certainly did not deserve. Despite making so much of brouhaha about unemployment, Shaheen Bagh, inflation, drop in GDP and lot more if the party failed miserably, the problem is somewhere else. Probably, it lies in the presentation and deliberation of their viewpoint. Time and again, they failed to make the public connect, perhaps because the inner coterie consists of the people without any grassroots level. The party has an army of spokesperson but not a single with a mass appeal to flash upon. One should not be an expert in rocket science to judge the quality of spokespersons’ in the party. With all the due respect to them, they are highly unprofessional and lack inter-personal and communication skill to canvass the public opinion to their fold, one of their primary role.
Congress is also blessed with an army of ‘Jaichands’ ( the so-called traitor who helped Mohammed Ghori against Prithviraj Chauhan) in the form of Manishanker Ayyars’, Shashi Tharoors’, and many more. They are the classic examples of Frankenstein monster who destroyed its own creator. The party was close to striking distance in Gujarat elections but they played the perfect spoiler as if were acting on behalf of their political adversary. There was absolutely no control on such errant and rogue elements who unleashed a salvo of vicious insinuations and innuendos against the Prime Minister. The kind of unrelated and sordid language used obviously suggests a theory that there is a lobby in the party which does not want Mr. Rahul Gandhi or any other member of the Gandhi family to succeed. I personally feel it to be true without any prejudice to anybody.
What next then? Firstly, they need to think out of box. Not only that, the box itself needs to be new and innovative. The strategy needs redefinition on some issues bereft of any apprehension of loosing votes of a particular community. The misconception that protesting anything and everything against Mr.Modi would appease muslims should be allayed. The sooner this perception abates, the better it is. The election steering should rest on optimistic plank instead of being individual centric, see how beautifully and quickly Mr. Kejriwal had learnt which paid too. The leaders who are not even known by the people outside their mohallas (streets) were also abusing Mr. Modi personally and publically which did not augur well. The party should pass on the diktat not to attack Mr. Modi personally. Remember the TV debates! The kind of statements made by their spokesperson characterized the manifestation of utter frustration and race to score their numbers before the Gandhi family. They did not had any locus standi what-so-ever, but were so vocal in derogatory manner which was not liked by the masses. The more they spoke, the more damage inflicted.
Secondly, the entire party needs to be run on the corporate model resembling a company launching a new product afresh with an unmatched USP and best sales force. Believe it or not, no leader at the national level has either grip of the public nerve or the courage to advise the high command the situation they are in. Presently, their is nothing for Rahul Gandhi to boast upon. Neither has he the charisma nor the much needed oratory skill to turn the tables. Still, candid feedback by the political advisors could make the difference.
Finally, there is something called “National Security” which is sacrosanct and unquestionable. The strike on Balakot was made mockery of by most of the leaders who do not even understand the basic difference between internal and external security. Some of them even tried to suggest that it was against the Muslims'. Nothing could be as ridiculous and atrocious as this! Had they praised the government without any “ifs & buts” it would have earned more respect in the society. These are some of the reasons that all the social engineering and maneuvering getting failed in every election. Regional political parties are making gains but not the congress.
To conclude, it is nothing new which is written that congress pundits do not know or understand. But someone needs to be vocal in the party to fine-tune their strategy. Serious contemplation would have certainly taken place among them, but even now if they choose not to act then they are certainly going to spoil the political future of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too. The real winner is not who sails with the wind but against it and emerges victorious.
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