The Congress, which has been in power for five decades, now faces a big challenge. If they do not have a concrete plan, their resurrection can be difficult if not impossible.
 |
| Photo (OneIndia.com) |
The existence of the Congress party is in crisis as it faces a very bad result in the Lok Sabha elections. The existence of the Congress, the oldest party in the country, will require radical changes in the party to adapt to the changing political landscape.
To understand the drastic decline in the acceptance of the Congress in the country, it is necessary to take a closer look at the decline in the Lok Sabha results. In this election, Congress had fielded 421 candidates and out of them only 52 candidates won. This figure is better than in 2014. In 2014, only 44 candidates had won.
Out of the total winning Congress candidates, 60 per cent are from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Punjab. The Hindi-speaking states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Haryana were earlier known as the main centers of the Congress. However, after the rise of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the position of the Congress has become negligible.
The Congress won 52 seats, second in 192 seats and third or below all the remaining seats. In the constituency where there are less Hindu voters, the Congress got a good response. It was said that the Congress was moving away from the majority. In terms of percentage of votes, the Congress got more than 50 per cent in Pondicherry alone. BJP reached milestone and secured above 50 per cent votes in 17 consecutive states, now that's an impressive achievement for BJP. In Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Goa, Nagaland, Lakshadweep and Andaman Nicobar, the Congress got more than 40 per cent votes.
In all the other states, the turnout was very low, with Uttar Pradesh getting only 6.3 per cent. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress had won the November-December 2018 Assembly elections, where it won only four out of 65 seats. It was a shock to the party that Rahul Gandhi lost his seat in Amethi. The Amethi constituency has been a stronghold of the Gandhi family for the last four decades. Therefore, the Congress, which has been in power for five decades, now faces a big challenge. If they do not have a solid long-term plan, their resurgence can be not only difficult but also impossible.
The challenges that the Congress party is facing are ideological and theoretical. While the party's plan to address these issues may not be spontaneous, the party desperately needs introspection. Gandhi - The Congress will have to play an effective and acceptable role in confronting the pro-Hindu forces who are determined to destroy Nehru's contribution to the freedom movement. They will also have to spread their net far and wide.
The Congress party should keep in mind that Sanatan Dharma has been the legislation of India for centuries and has created a memory of this country. Therefore, Congress should take thinkers and scholars with deep knowledge of Sanatan Dharma with it.
Not only the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are accusing the Congress of being patriarchal, but the media is also blaming the Congress for patriarchy. The Congress will have limited options for leadership but the old party like the Congress will not have no choice.
On the issue of dynasticism, the Congress has the option of replacing Rahul Gandhi and it seems that Rahul Gandhi is ready to step down. But the reality is that there is no leader in the party who is nationally recognized or known all over India. The leadership of the party can only be entrusted to a person whose ideological position is flawless and strong.
Instead of looking for an alternative to Rahul Gandhi, the Congress needs to strengthen its ideological base. The appeal of Hindutva and its appeal is growing among the people and the RSS and BJP are controlling the government at all levels. Some regional parties which do not support the BJP's saffron ideology are also supporting the BJP to join power.
The idea of 'India' put forward by the Congress after the independence movement has lost its significance in the seven decades before independence and is not acceptable to the majority of the society. That thought has now been replaced by a dream. In this dream, a powerful Hindu nation can bring prestige and prosperity to the people of India and mainly to Hindus.
It is no secret that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its wider Hindutva family hate the Gandhi family, including the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and have been attacked by these people in their speeches. The Gandhi family is the obstacle to the ultimate goal of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to rule India. The Gandhi family should focus on creating an ideological response without falling into this trap. Also, an executive committee of senior and experienced leaders should be formed to look after the day-to-day affairs of the party, which may or may not include members of the Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi should lead the party in the Lok Sabha elections and develop a common strategy to oppose the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While strengthening the ideology that the Congress is proposing to take the country forward, the Congress will have to develop the organizational structure of the party which will reflect the ambitions of every section of the society. The Gandhi family cannot escape the responsibility of planning for the Congress party. The plan should be such that it has an all-India appeal and is suitable for the majority community.
Political parties and organizations around the world have resurfaced in the process of facing the challenges ahead only after the crisis has erupted. This is the time for Congress. Congress is not allowed to merge indefinitely.
Post a Comment