THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*
Congress and INDIA Alliance need mutual trust
Targeting left parties is not a great Strategy to strengthen Congress Mr Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi remains in the news all the time. The ‘experts’ are divided between his adversaries or supporters and there seems to be no space for any one who disagree with both. Long back, Congress Party was accused of creating a situation where all the non BJP forces had to ultimately come to it in the name of threat from ‘Hindutva’. Now the netas decided to do away with it and BJP seems softer option for many. Ultimately, power means everything for the society where people have been subguated and oppressed in the name of their identity for centuries.
Anyway, a couple of comments raised outrage recently. One was made by Ramchandra Guha who had been a critique of Gandhi family and felt they are responsible for everything that India is today. He felt that Rahul Gandhi is not ‘qualified’ to become India’s prime minister. Now, we know very well that there is nothing called qualification in politics particularly in democracies and that is why we get clowns to lead us. It is not merely an Indian crisis. Democracy is throwing highly undemocratic people and mediocres to lead and I have mentioned it many time that today this Westminster model of government is now basically corporate control and ensure that corporate gains from this model. It has resulted in degenration of leadership in the name of people’s choice. The result is Russia, China, Iran, North Korea are showcasing better diplomacy and democratic practices than these so called democcracies. You agree with Rahul Gandhi or not but he is certainly qualified to become Prime Minister of India if people elect him. Nehru was in the nationalist movement since 1912 after his return and then joined Home rule league in 1916. He became an active part of Gandhi’s movement after 1920. From 1912 to finally 1947 took Nehru almost 35 years to become prime minister of India. Back home, Atal Bihari Vajpayee contested in 1957 but he became prime minister in 1996, almost after 40 years of being in public life. Similar thing happened with Chandrashekhar. Many illustrious leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Narendra Dev, Jai Prakash Narayan, K Kamraj, E M S Namoodaripad, Jyoti Basu could never become prime minister of India but that does not mean they did not exists or have not contributed for the growth of India. So, nobody has a right to give this sermon to any one whether one can become prime minister or even minister of India.
One can agree and disagree with political leaders, their ideological positions and working pattern but personally it is unprofessional to suggest one can become or not become the prime minister. After all, we are the ‘speical’ qualifications of those who have become Prime Minister. Let us see what is special about Narendra Modi ? Yes, his critique will only emerge after him and not during this period and it indicate unambiguously how India’s is enjoying ‘press freedom’ as well as ‘intellectual autonomy’. The fact is that Modi and BJP’s criticism is ‘acceptable’ if you hit Congress particularly Rahul Gandhi and Gandhi family crudely and humiliate them in the name of humour and criticism. Whether one agree or not, Rahul Gandhi is the biggest challenge to BJP and RSS and they know that is just the Gandhis who keep Congress going and once they are humiliated and kept out of the power structure of the party, it would be easier for the BJP to fulfill its dream. The entire project to defame Nehru and Gandhis actually have the simple idea to disorient Congress party which still have its presence all over the country. The RSS knows well that no other party is in a position to challenge its hegemony except Congress which still has a huge network in almost every state of the country. It is another factor that Congress leadership today is unable to renergise those Congress people so far who are by heart congress men for generations and have not joined it merely for the sake of power.
Rahul Gandhi is trying to experiment new things in the party which make him different than other politicians. It shows his sensitivity too. Meeting people, giving them comfort or raising the issues of different sectors is good but how much will they succeed, will have to be seen in future. It is true that a huge number of youngsters who used to mock at him earlier have realised that they were wrong. The video that Rahul Gandhi posted related to ‘Great Nicobar’ Project on the World Environment Day was simply superb and made this issue international as millions of people watched it on youtube and other social media networks. Whether Ram Guha or Shekhar Suman, finally their humour and ‘criticism’ will attempt to damage the opposition more than the ruling party.
After the recent elections, there is a new ‘energy’ in the Congress and the regional forces seems to be down. INDIA alliance organsied its meeting and Rahul Gandhi gave a ‘historic’ speech. There are several serious questions emerging from this. The first one is that the Institutions that ensure free and fair polls and level playing field essential for a democracy dont exists today or are thoroughly compromised. Rahul has raised this issue in the past also particularly related to SiR and how the electoral roles have been manipulated. It is a fact that he said it about Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar. It is also a darker reality that INDIA alliance members actually did not take this issue seriously. Even the Bengal Bihar Yatra that Rahul Gandhi undertook before the Bihar polls focussing on Vote-Chori never got support either from Mamta Banerjee or RJD and Tejasvi Yadav. Everyone felt that Rahul Gandhi and Congress was unable to defeat BJP hence making all these noises. The fact is that in the INDIA alliance most of the leaders felt that Congress was the ‘weakest link’ in their fight against BJP but now the results of the recently concluded elections have hit TMC and DMK the most. Everyone was sure of their returning to power. Most importantly, the crisis in Bengal is more serious as it is just a month and Mamata has lost some of her closest colleagues. The party is on the verge of division. DMK has a historic legacy of Periyar’s Self Respect Movement hence it will not get wipe out as it has seen such ups and downs but it too became over confident about its victory resulting the massive defeat that it faced. TVK seems to be following MGR mantra of involving Dalits, minorities and Brahmins in his fold apart from targetting Periyarists and backward communities.
While one may agree with various points raised by Rahul Gandhi, the speech look preachy too. To tell that only Congress is fighting or is ‘resistence’ movment simply ignore the grave realities of the party. It is a fact that during the freedom movement, Gandhi ji made Congress a national movement. Gandhi succeeded in unifying India because he had huge number of leaders with him, extremely capable and committed. Right from Nehru, Subhas, Patel, Maulana Azad, Rajendra Prasad to numerous others Congress that time did not have dearth of leaders who were committed to not only India’s freedom but also social reform. I am calling Gandhi’s Social reform because to be candid, Gandhi and Congress people were not revolutionaries. In fact, a large number of them were reactionaries too but they were still honest people despite being socially conservatives. The real down fall of Congress organisational structure started initially in the 1974 onwards when Sanjay Gandhi dominated the political scene. Congress started drifting from its secular idealism and started promoting ‘managers’. When Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980, the party had the managers but loyalty was always acknowledged which was important but it also created a new age of what late kansiram once described ‘Chamcha Age’. Loyalty to the leader and the party is important but converting it to create Chamcha stuff will only endanger party as Chamchas will be available only when the party is in power or they are benefitted from the system. As long as they realise that there is no chance or monetary benefit being with the leader or the party they shift.
The managers and loyalists of the party are useful when the party is in the power but it is the ‘ideological’ people who remain with the party during its toughest moment and Congress lost its ideological part. Since 1980s after Indira Gandhi’s return and then when Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister, Congress followed the soft Hindutva track. The mistake that Rajiv made speaking of Ramrajya from Ayodhya and then his flip flop on Shahbano resulted in strengthening the BJP. Congress never wanted secular forces to be its main opposition rival as BJP suited it well. The result was Congress fought more against the secular parties then the BJP.
The third disaster that Congress did during this period was when BJP withdrew support from V P Singh’s government. Everybody knew that the withdrawal of support was to stall the Mandal Commission report which the government had accepted but Rajiv Gandhi spoke against the Mandal report in Parliament and was happy for the fall of the government. If he had guts and politicall understanding, he should have supported VP Singh and India would not have seen this day. Installing a Chandrashekar government which did not have enough members of Parliament only gave opportunity to BJP to mock at all the secular parties.
Both Narsimharao and ManMohan Singh promoted the liberalisation policies and destroyed all the public sector that Nehru and Indira Gandhi had built. Both of them were soft on taking on Hindutva. In fact, Narsimharao’s action took congress to ICU particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Had Congress supported Mandal Commission Report, it would not have faced such a crisis in both Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The economic policies pursued by Manmohan, Chidambaram and Montek Singh Ahluwallia were least helping the Adivasis and Dalits. Congress’s puppet intellectuals misguided and made NREGA as the answer for all the problems of India. Hence Congress focussed on MNREGA but actively supported SEZs in different parts of the country resulting in displacement of Adivasis and other forest dwelling communities. The alienation of Dalits, adivasis and Muslims was complete from the party as they did nothing to win them over. The managers were not keen.
The most outstanding minister during first UPA was Mr Arjun Singh but Sonia Gandhin despised him. He was never made a minister again and corrupt Pranab Mukherjee was promoted. I am still shocked to see Rahul Gandhi speak so loudly on Social Justice yet never bother to even mention about V P Singh or Arjun Singh. Why ? These days, he take the name of late kanshiram ji as well as Ms Mayawati too but not the people who were Congress person. Both VP and Arjun Singh were Chief minister during Indira ji’s period and were extremely loyal to her.
Even today, the Congress has left out leaders like Digvijay Singh who started the diversity debate during his chief ministership and has been a secular liberal leader committed to the cause of social justice. Digvijay Singh is actually one of the most well connected and thoughtful leaders of the party even today but Congress High Command always look the otherway round. One does not know why ?
So it is simply not ideological politics when Rahul Gandhi was saying that CPI ( M) should not complain to him if he is not ready to hug Pinyari Vijayan. Rahul Gandhi must understand that the left parties and I have critiqued them but their role on raising the issues off workers, privatisation, violence against dalits and minorities is simply much bigger than the Congress party. It is the left trade unions, left parties student wings who have been more actives in the campuses and in the street on important issues facing the nation and not really the Congress party. Ofcourse, we are seeing Congress party protesting these days and NSUI too working harder and it is a good thing but that does not delete the work done by the left parties. Can he ever think of how simple the left leaders have been. Congress and Rahul cant do that even today. We have seen comrade Indrajeet Gupta, A B Bardhan, Sitaram Yechury as well as socialist icons like Madhu Dandvate, Surendra Mohan and others walking at the Constituent Club lawns, waiting for local transport for commuting. Even today, Comrade Deepankar Bhattacharya use the public transport for travelling most of the time but his party has been extremely active in Bihar with the most marginalised raising their issues of land and livelihood. Congress’s pampered workers would not go to work with landless Dalits, adivasis and marginalised.
My point is not deny Rahul Gandhi what he is doing. He has brought Congress back in action. It is energised and raising people’s issue but it still need a lot. Yes, it is a fact that Congress need to be strengthened to defeat the BJP. There is no second thought on it but Rahul Gandhi must not make statement which look more preachy and hurtful. Among all the current parties, left parties despite alll criticism are still committed to the cause. Congresss attitude towards DMK was highly questionable. While none deny the fact that Rahul acted fast so that BJP could not intervene in Tamilnadu, it could have done in a better way and not by abusing each other who had been your partner. DMK after all remain a secular liberal party committed to the ideals of Periyar and has a history no less than Congress Party.
INDIA alliance should grow and develop a strategy and Rahul Gandhi remain an important part of it but Congress also must realise that whereever it is in power it should not try to eliminate foces of secularism, social justice from the opposition space. I want a strong Congress but at the same point of time, I would always say parties like DMK, left parties, SP BSP must also flourish. This is what VP Singh used to suggest that opposition spaces should also be occupied by the secular parties but then when Congress was in power it eliminated them and the result is what we are facing today. However, this is a historic opportunity for all to look whereever they are powerful and decide your candidates well in advance. Do not provide space for friendly fight. Focus on common agenda and try not to give ‘off the record’ byte to the media people. There are many who continue to encourage these gossips which ultimately hurt all. India need a stronger and vibrant Congress but it also need strengthening of all the political parties who believe in democracy, secularism and social justice. Single party hegemony must be opposed as it is the biggest threat to our democracy.
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