There was a time when the Congress Party was the fulcrum of Indian politics. It represented a strong leadership that was formidable irrespective of whether it was in power or in the opposition. The grand old party of India has been instrumental in bringing many political reforms in the country and has stayed relevant through different eras in Indian politics. Despite its illustrious history, the Congress of today is a far cry from the strong party of yesteryears and its weakened branches are blaming it on the Congress’ rotting roots of leadership.
After the defeat in Bihar exposed it as the weakest major party in the state, the Congress also had to face dismal results in the recent by-polls. Following such humiliation, the Congress party is undergoing a period of introspection to understand and rectify the mistakes that cost the party more than just the people’s votes.
Senior leaders of the party, such as former Union Minister Kapil Sibal and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, have come out in the open ruing the absence of proper leadership within Congress and its complacency in strengthening its organizational presence at the grassroots level of the country.
Chidambaram said the defeats in Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka indicate that the party needs to find answers to some pressing questions. Known for his analytical approach to politics, Chidambaram also said that the Congress overestimated its powers by contesting in more seats than it should have. According to the former union minister, the Congress had strong chances of coming to power in Bihar by being part of a strong Mahagathbandhan alliance, but it contested far too many seats and committed the grave mistake of contesting in the BJP strongholds where RJD should have contested.
When asked about whether the party was considering moving away from the leadership of the Gandhi family, Chidambaram was cautious with his response but did hint at the possibility of a change in leadership within the party.
While the former Finance Minister has been more guarded with his demand for a revamp of the party’s top-level leadership, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal minced no words on what he thought of the Congress’ present leadership. The former minister has once again emerged as one of the strongest voices against the existing leadership with his call for a change in the party leadership.
While Sibal was one of the 23 leaders who wrote a letter of dissent to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi in August, this time he asked the members of the party to take a call on the transition of leadership. The veteran leader further said that the party must come to terms with the defeat in recent elections and learn lessons from those losses, so that it can get back on track to revamping itself and restoring its relevance in national politics. Showing a mirror to the party, Sibal said the Congress needs to accept the reality of being no longer a dominant force and it needs effective and experienced leaders to recover its lost image.
How the top leadership of the party reacts to this demand of introspection and decisive action, and whether there will at last be any crucial changes in the leadership of the party, is something only time will tell.
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