The political mess in Punjab Congress is a self-inflicted wound that the party’s top leadership has to endure. Nothing can explain the Congress’ death wish of dismissing its elected chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, foisting a ‘defector from the BJP’, Navjot Singh Sidhu, as state president, and piloting the state and its own party to utter chaos. Going by the prevailing uncertainties, the current government led by Charanjit Singh Channi is unlikely to last for long.
The central government needs to take a serious view of the situation as Punjab happens to be a border state. The return of the Taliban in Kabul and Pakistan’s increasing clout over the terrorist outfits and mercenaries pose a serious security challenge. Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari’s remark – “that the only people who are very happy with what is going on in Punjab is the deep state of Pakistan” – merits attention. In fact, he has echoed what the former chief minister himself had said while stepping down.
Amarinder had an hour-long meeting with BJP’s ace strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, fuelling wild speculation about him joining the BJP. Meanwhile in Goa, a two-time Congress chief minister and party’s former in-charge of the Northeast has joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Incidentally, many BJP chief ministers in the Northeast states are former Congress stalwarts. The political situation in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are fluid as the sitting chief ministers are facing strong rebellion waiting to enact another Punjab-like scene.
Even as this despicable drama was unfolding in Punjab, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi was busy welcoming a political lightweight from the Communist Party of India (CPI), Kanhaiya Kumar, into the party. Instead of fortifying the crumbling edifice in Punjab, the top leader was literally rolling out the red carpet for politically futile arrivistes.
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A Communist takeover
Manish Tewari recalled the words of Mohan Kumaramangalam on Communists joining the Congress. Sadly, even the current Congress leadership may not be aware of the history or the relevance of such references.
Mohan Kumaramangalam, a Communist leader who had joined the Indira Gandhi faction of the Congress party during the infamous 1971 split, had strongly advocated strengthening of the Congress to realise the agenda proposed by the “Communist Manifesto”. His thesis emphasised the need for Communists to quit the party and join the Congress.
Ironically, Kumaramangalam had serious differences of opinion with the Congress during the run-up to Independence and had criticised the party that ruled many states for decades after 1947. So fierce was the criticism and so intolerant was the Congress, even at that time, that the Communist party office was vandalised, presumably instigated by then party stalwart S.K. Patil.
Almost half a century later, even as the Congress’ apex leadership has come in for severe criticism by party insiders for the disastrous handling of the Punjab situation, they are being asked to fall in line and one of the members’ vehicles was vandalised. It is here that the Congress seems to prove the adage: ‘The more things change the more they perhaps remain the same’, as tweeted by Manish Tewari.
But then, the CPI’s suggestion to strengthen the Congress came at a time when both parties were more or less equally stronger. No doubt, the Communist ideology was not popular with the masses and the Congress could boast of a much stronger leadership than the ideologically oriented Communists. Yet, a section of the Left, especially the Communist Party of India (CPI), realised the need to infiltrate the Congress, send in “Trojan horses” and take over the party.
To a very large extent, this was accomplished even after the tragic and untimely death of Kumaramangalam in 1973 in an air crash. CPI founding member Shripad Amrit Dange extended wholehearted support to Indira Gandhi during the Emergency (evoking comments like ‘Dange(r) for the Congress’). A repeat of this performance, of joining hands with the Congress to defeat the BJP, was witnessed in 2004 when Left parties became part of the Congress bandwagon and formed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which practically had no leader and yet defeated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by a highly popular and respected leader like Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is unimaginable that the current leadership in the Congress is capable of coming anywhere close to a 2004-like victory. Regional parties like the TMC, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are out to finish the Congress and take its place in state politics.
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A new leadership
The Congress leadership needs to take appropriate steps to retrieve the party from the morass that it is sinking in. To begin with, the so-called high command, a triumvirate of three family members, should relinquish their posts forthwith. It is not unusual for parties to lose elections in a democracy. There could be a number of reasons such as flawed strategy, stronger opponent, lack of funds and absence of an alternate agenda. In the case of the Congress, all of these reasons seem to have combined to inflict the worst kind of defeat.
Additionally, one important cause for the total rout of the party is uninspiring leadership at the top. The control of the dynasty over the party will be tolerated only as long as it is charismatic and motivates the workers to victory. The current dynasty seems to be all set to preside over the liquidation of the party so that a new entity can take its place.
Democracy is incomplete without a strong opposition, which may also double up as an alternative to the ruling party. In a state of power vacuum, some other force or combination of parties will fill the vacuum. It is for the Congress to realise the seriousness of the situation and come out alive from its existential crisis.
The author is the former editor of ‘Organiser’. He tweets @seshadrichari. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)