Dr Satwant Singh Rissam
The no-confidence motion became an event where BJP got a chance to flex its muscles. And with this, the opposition party’s attempt to add to the anti-incumbency against the central government also failed. The opposition needs to up its game to match the government’s narrative. So let’s look beyond the sloganeering and shouting opposition MPs in parliament because several days of another session were lost to adjournments. The leadership question still troubles the opposition after 9 years of BJP in power. As of now, the Congress is the only alternative against BJP in the country but the road to the revival of the Congress party seems difficult. Apparently, Congress can do that sooner by moving over with older leaders and bringing together the young leadership. This is easier said than done. The new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is 80 and has been given the charge of national revival of the party. This raises a question- What’s changing in Congress on the national level? The faction-ridden Congress has a big roadblock in the shape of leaders who head several factions and stitching together the threads will be difficult for Kharge who was once seen as a factional leader in Karnataka.
A few weeks back, the Congress cadre was in Catch- 22 situation after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament. Now Rahul Gandhi is back in Parliament after Supreme Court’s stay on his conviction and the party does not want to miss the opportunity to garner public sympathy for Rahul Gandhi across India. After Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul has been successful in shaking off the non-serious image that was plaguing him. And Congress is now projecting the conviction as a sign of Rahul Gandhi’s commitment to issues and priorities that the main opposition party should try to focus on. While Rahul was exploring all legal options for getting relief, the Congress party worked to push for the opposition’s unity which took the shape of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance(INDIA). This new alliance has reduced the Congress party to just a ‘partner’ because Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is elevating other party leadership before its own leaders in the alliance reflecting the changing power balance in national politics. Rahul too is taking a backseat allowing other senior leaders from across the country to take centre stage.
It’s a win-win situation for BJP as the Gandhi family is losing the mark. At the same time, it is easier for BJP to handle opposition parties and stop their acceptance since Congress is not leading the opposition at the national level. It is pertinent to mention here that internal cracks in the Congress party’s organization benefit BJP undoubtedly. Congress will have to put in place young leadership that is non-existent and struggling in states like Rajasthan. No one will see Congress with renewed interest unless steps are taken to build Congress party and not just the family. The stabilizing factors like bringing a Dalit leader as its president won’t bring results because BJP is a cadre-based party with figures like PM Narendra Modi leading the government. If Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi are put on the same page in the run-up to the 2024 general elections, PM Modi will win the war of perception and again become a reason for BJP’s victory. Congress is clearly mindful of the hold PM Narendra Modi has built in the last 9 years and people are accepting him more readily.
The situation for the J&K Congress unit is no different. The local leadership lacks new faces and nothing has been done in the last 10 years to project young leaders in different areas. Old local leaders have again joined hands with ‘party hoppers’ to defend their interests and silence the young leadership which is struggling to defeat this attitude of local leadership. Congress office bearers make a systematic effort here to keep others out by misguiding the central leadership. The Congress party is not solving the internal problems which are faced by the young leadership in the J&K Congress. The days ahead are crucial as the toughest stretch of the political journey awaits the Congress party. Before thinking of national revival, Congress has to yield results in Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram to get a pretty conservative figure of nearly 100 seats in the Lok Sabha next year. It is important to remember that the no-confidence motion sounded the bugle for the upcoming assembly election and its results will reflect the political mood and possibilities of the contest or shrinking space for the opposition.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
