Will Congress’ Change Of Guard Work?

When Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gave the battle cry “ jitni abaadi, utna haq” prior to the just concluded state Assembly elections, political observers sat up and took note. It seemed as if the Grand Old Party had actually turned a new leaf in its political journey.

That it was actually talking about giving proportional representation to the marginalised sections of society, especially the OBCs. Numerically the biggest vote bank.

But once the election hype ended, and post-defeat, it was time for real action on the ground, the party took everyone by surprise by appointing Avinash Pandey , a Brahmin, as the general secretary in charge, in Uttar Pradesh. He replaced Priyanka Gandhi, who now remains a general secretary without a portfolio.

Nothing against Avinash Pandey for his caste as he has no doubt delivered good work in the state, while assisting Madhusudan Mistry in the past and also as general secretary in charge of Rajasthan and Jharkhand. However, in Uttar Pradesh, it was time for the Grand Old Party to walk the talk and appoint somebody from the marginalised communities, thus giving teeth to the party talk of “ justice and participation” for all.

This was even more needed because in Uttar Pradesh, the party is already headed by Ajai Rai, an ‘upper caste’ leader.

Similarly in Bihar, where the party is headed by another ‘upper caste’ leader, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, a Bhumihar, the appointment of Mohan Prakash as general secretary in charge, a brahmin again, took everyone by surprise.

“We are completely at a loss to understand these appointments, especially when Rahul Gandhi has started advocating caste census so vociferously. The action should have matched the words,” a senior leader from Bihar, who calls the appointments ‘laughable’ said.

When the caste census became the talking point during the recent Assembly election campaign, the message given by Rahul Gandhi was that he was a supporter of Dalits, OBCs and other marginalised sections of society. But in the two states where caste equations weigh the most while deciding electoral outcomes, UP and Bihar, the party has chosen ‘upper caste’ leaders in key positions, completely contradicting its avowed stance.

“When you talk of caste census you give the message that you are a supporter of OBCs, But while making appointments, you pick upper caste leaders. How will you instil confidence among people about your intentions,” a senior UP leader wondered.

For a party like Congress which had opposed implementation of Mandal commission recommendation by the then Prime Minister V. P. Singh on the floor of the House, supporting caste census was a bold move and a strategic shift from its stand, but then contradicting it so soon puts a question mark on the very intention.

Senior Congress leaders at the AICC office, however, describe the appointments in Bihar and UP as a tacit message to the upper castes, who, they say, might get too upset by the party’s caste census advocacy. “There is a huge section among ‘upper caste’ people, especially Brahmins, who are upset with the BJP and maybe this is a message for people like them,” a senior leader says.

Sceptics in the Congress party, however, completely rule out any support from the upper castes, especially in UP and Bihar, which have gone completely saffron. “It is wishful thinking that ‘upper caste’ people would support us. By backing caste census, we could have got the support of OBCs in states where regional parties are not too strong, but the Congress party’s message to people is getting confused,” a leader said.

It is not only the Congress party’s message which is getting confused, but the entire I.N.D.I.A. bloc which has suddenly lost steam. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is revving up in full throttle for the 2024 showdown, the I.N.D.I.A. parties are nowhere near getting their act together.

While the Congress seems to be struggling a bit, the I.N.D.I.A. narrative is still stuck in internal wrangling. It is now only a matter of weeks for the Lok sabha election, but the alliance has no convenor yet, no plan of action, no agenda, no political narrative.

“Just a single point of ‘Modi hatao’ agenda would not work. The alliance needs to have a clear vision for the future and it needs to have a clearly spelt out agenda. The voter needs to be convinced of what he is getting if he votes for the alliance parties,” political observer said.

The fact, however, is that Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the party which looked the most enthusiastic in the beginning, is stuck in its own leadership crisis. With Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh having resigned, allegedly forced by Nitish Kumar for being too close to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Laloo Yadav and Tejasvi Yadav, the JD-U is without a national president at the moment.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was the mover behind the idea of alliance, is in doldrums because he has neither been named the convenor of the alliance, nor has his name been circulated for prospective prime ministerial face. Ever since Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has been conjectured as the face of alliance, Nitish Kumar has been sulking because he sees this as a conspiracy instigated by Laloo Yadav.

Sources in the JD-U say Laloo Yadav has emerged as the biggest stumbling block for Nitish Kumar. Yadav is insisting Kumar first resign as CM and hoist Tejasvi on the CM chair, then only could he be named the I.N.D.I.A. convenor.

“Nitishji is sulking. He is presently surrounded by the pro-BJP elements in his party,’ RJD leader in the know of things, said. Unless the JD-U scenario becomes clear, I.N.D.I.A. bloc cannot move forward.

However, I.N.D.I.A. insiders are optimistic that once the convenor’s hurdle is cleared, then the seat sharing formula is more or less settled in the most tricky states of UP, West Bengal and Delhi.

In Delhi, the Congress and Aam Aadmi party have roughly settled on a 4:3 formula. In West Bengal, the Congress is most likely going to tie up with Trinamool Congress (TMC), not the Left. In UP the seat sharing formula between Congress, SP and RLD is almost settled.

With the Congress party announcing yet another yatra by Rahul Gandhi from January 14 to March 20, 2024, from Manipur to Mumbai, covering 14 states, and a distance of 6,200 kms, it remains to be seen how this will create a buzz in the political circles.

Christened ‘Nyay Yatra’ this time travelling from east to west, passing through Manipur, covering states like Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, among others. But among old school Congress leaders there is little enthusiasm about this yatra.

“A yatra gives good optics at its best but it doesn’t get you votes. The Bharat Jodo yatra passed through Madhya Pradesh and the margin of our defeat went up to eight percent,” a leader said, wondering why the party is not getting down to the brass tacks.

While the BJP is already riding high on its victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and is further drumming up Hindutva hype with the aura of Ram Mandir inauguration on January 22, 2024, the I.N.D.I.A. parties are still to have a face, an agenda, and most importantly, a message. It sure is a tough battle ahead.