Congress needs introspection very soon

Congress leadership must take serious note of the precarious condition of the party. The condition is getting worse and worse in one state after another. Its leadership must think why party leader in the Gujarat assembly Shankar Sigh Vaghela left when the election is going to be held in the state in a few months. He left Congress because of the indifference showed by the party high command to his grievances. Six party MLAs resigned in the state just after him. It is not only in Gujarat but also the position of almost all state units of the Congress party is getting worse and worse. Why has the mess set in the grand old party? It has to be looked into by the party leadership, especially party president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi without any loss of time. Once the Congress party ruled the nation from Kerala to Kanyakumari, it has shrunk to a few small states. Whether it was north, south, west or east, Congress rule was all pervasive. But since 2014 the party has been losing from one state to another to the ruling BJP. Party leaders from one state to another are leaving the Congress day by day, blaming Vice President Rahul Gandhi of mishandling party affairs or indifference to the political activities in the nation. The election for three Rajya Sabha seats in the state of Gujarat is going to be held in next 10 days. Congress had 57 MLAs. Six of them resigned. Now, it has left with only 51 MLAs. The number is sufficient for the party to get one Rajya Sabha seat. BJP will get two seats, and it is alleged by the Congress that it is trying to win over MLAs from the Congress Party to get the third seat also. Congress party has fielded Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and a veteran party strategist. It is a matter of prestige for the Congress leadership to ensure the victory of Ahmed Patel on one hand and prevent the desertion of any more party MLAs on the other. Gujarat is also going to poll by the end of the year. The morale of the Congress party is already down with the breaking up of Mahagatbandhan in Bihar by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It is a great setback of opposition unity. Nitish Kumar was one of the most credible opposition leaders in the country until he went back into the lap of BJP to form govt. in the state. The Congress party is in its worst phase. The immediate need of the party is to introspect and take remedial measures to present a formidable opposition before the people in the country. The party has an ability and capability to revamp itself if it decided to do this. As Gujarat assembly election is going to be held in a few months and BJP has been ruling there for more than 25 years, the anti-incumbency factor would be there. It is for the Congress party to exploit the situation to its favour. It will only be possible when the Congress party itself presented a united posture before the people in Gujarat. It is the immediate need for the Congress leadership to pay all attention to the Gujarat party problems. There is internal bickering, infighting, and disunity in every state party unit. After the Gujarat assembly elections, MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh will also go to polls next year. The Congress party is required to iron out differences among the party leaders in these three states. The Congress is the oldest party of the country. Still, there would be hardly any village where there would be no Congress party worker, supporter or sympathizer. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is a well -intentioned leader. He is young, energetic and honest, but he has failed so far to connect with the people of the nation. So, Congress leadership will have to find out a way to prop a leader of the caliber, who could connect with the people.