Political Diary

New Delhi, 21 April 2012

Congress-Public Disconnect

PARTY OF LOTUS EATERS

By Poonam I Kaushish

Political Delhi today resembles a land of lotus eaters. What with the Congress being in a drugged, indolent state and the UPA Government suffering from acute foot-in-the-mouth disease followed by eating-its words disorder is resulting in severe indigestion. The state of slothfulness is such that eating crow has become the Congress hallmark!

Think. Already, pricked by scams galore, debilitating corruption cases, rising prices, poll debacles in UP, Maharashtra and Delhi to the latest “trust deficit with the aam aadmi” and disclosures by Chief Economic Advisor of policy paralysis in Government, it has left the Party more deflated than ever. Clearly, for all practical purposes, Sonia seems to have lost the plot.

Worse, the Party is crippled by rank indiscipline, perennial squabbling among Ministers and with Party leaders resulting in a virtual free-for-all. The situation is worse in States. Big, small and petty leaders are all pulling in different directions. In Delhi’s Municipal Corporation elections bitter infighting for seats between CM Sheila Dikshit and PCC Chief JP Agarwal led to the Party’s rout. In Uttarakhand CM Bahugana-Minister Rawat’s tu-tu-mein-mein is never-ending. In Andhra, Congressmen continue ‘their revolt’ for Telengana.

This is compounded by Sonia’s “rudderless” coterie which has demoralised the rank and file and is a perfect recipe for disaster. Indeed, the Party has become a prisoner of the highly personalised, feudal functioning and outlook.  In such a Congress system the entire pyramid fastens leech-like feeds on the “undaate”, living off her goodwill. Only those who serve loyalty flourish in the “nomination culture”. Said a disgusted neta, “The decision-making process is so slow. If Soniaji continues with her status quo policy then the Party will fall apart.”

The most unpleasant aspect is the withering of internal democracy. It has made the Party hopelessly dependent on initiative from the Congress President and tragically immobile in its absence. What is more, Congressmen keep scoring debating points against each other and turning every issue into a dissident versus loyalist question. Of sycophants who are as loyal as Valdimir Nabokov’s Lolita!

The biggest enemy of the Party is the Congress itself. If the internal discord that has now surfaced continues it could have serious external ramifications for the UPA Government. Specially, with aggressive coalition partners like Mamata and Pawar beginning to flex their muscle all the more belligerently post the electoral defeats. With allies distrustful of it, even as the Congress tom-toms “alliance with respect”, it knows that it cannot declare open war against its coalition partners.

More. Seeing a weak Centre State Chief Ministers are now ganging up against passage of crucial legislations, NCTC, GST, FDI in retail et al. Exposing the political confusion and dichotomy within, with no new ideas to revive the moribund Government and organization. If things continue in its comatose present state the Congress’s return to power in 2014 seems highly unlikely.

The Party suffers on two scores: One, a severe ‘leaders’ crisis. Two, there is no democracy within the Grand Dame. Notwithstanding, pot shots taken by second-rung leaders against each other explained as the Congress’ democratic ways. Sic.

Sadly, the system has become so dynastic in mindset that none even contemplate anyone else. This is all the more ironical as there is no paucity of talent within the Party. There are nearly half a dozen Congress Union Ministers who have shown their mettle as good leaders. But the big question: Will Congressmen accept them? Could they carry the Party?

Indeed, no Government in recent memory has been under siege in such a relentless manner, and none has responded with such transparent clumsiness. What makes it particularly interesting is that the problems have come not from outside but from within the UPA vis-à-vis CWG fiasco, 2G scam, mining scandal, coal-gate, the Administration has first created problems for itself and then magnified them by its own mishandling. Capped by a public spectacle of fights between senior Ministers followed by a poorly scripted unconvincing compromise.

The problem with the Congress today is fundamentally the way the present Government is constructed. Whereby, governance has been detached from politics; real electorally-enabled power has been sucked out and retained with the family, which uses it selectively. What remains is administrative power shorn of political purpose which makes the Government incapable of dealing with complex issues meaningfully.

The Prime Minister lacks authority without which he has no control over his Ministers, who set personal agendas, build and defend territories and do pretty much as they please. As a result, the Administration lacks a clear leadership structure, and functions as a confused babble of vested interests, egos and animosities.

Alas, neither Sonia nor Manmohan Singh seems willing or capable of stemming the rot. And ‘youth icon’ 41-year old Rahul is seen as “work in progress” who depends too much on his assistants and computer print-outs. Thus even as the mother-son duo extol cadres to connect with the aam aadmi, rich VVIP leaders drive  luxurious cars and only ‘connect’ with criminalised crony capitalism, corporate czars and land mafia. Moreover, three years of scam-ridden policy paralysis, the Congress-dominated UPA does not have any achievements to catch the popular imagination.

What then is the Congress salvation? It needs to look beyond Sonia and the Dynasty and find answers. Remember, no leader howsoever mighty and powerful is indispensable. As the electoral battering in the Nehru-Gandhi UP bastion of Amethi and Rai Bareilly showed already the Dynasty charisma is slowly fading. The time has come for the Nehru-Gandhi centric Grand Dame to realize that the old order has to give way to the new. Congressmen need to quit being jee-huzoors and re-inject the potency of the Congress mystic.

In sum, even as the Party’s PR managers project a Congress rainbow on India’s future political horizon, the reality is different. In fact, harsh. It needs to grapple with the internal contradictions and work towards intra-Party and Party-Government harmony to ensure the stability and effectiveness of Manmohan Singh’s Government. Congress Ministers and leaders cannot afford to speak in ‘split’ voices.

This means radically restructuring the Congress to acquire an entirely different political image. A tall order, but not an impossible task. Time is still on Sonia’s side with polls two years away. Add to it, the BJP is on the decline given its eroding vote banks and the regional parties lack a national perspective

Can Sonia and her colleagues summon up the will to bring about such a radical transformation? Said an aspiring youth, “In today’s world, politics is indeed rocket science. Only those who practice it know the nuances and science of it.” Mere tongue-lashing and passing resolutions dime a dozen won't be sufficient to pull the Party out of its self-dug grave. Undeniably, the Congress needs to get its act together before the 2014 elections. A lesson in political ABC --- aggression, bounce and confidence. Is it capable of turning a new leaf? ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)