When the Congress Working Committee (CWC) met on Tuesday, it was expected to take some major decisions after the heavy defeat party suffered in recent polls. But the CWC continued to repose faith in the leadership of the Gandhis, and therefore, Sonia Gandhi continues as the interim president.
Not much has changed. A band-aid doesn’t help when the problem requires surgery. This prescription applies to the Congress as well.
What the grand old party needs now is not the token gestures, fake resignation dramas or empty pep talks from its beleaguered leadership, but a radical overhaul of the organisation to stem the rot.
The drubbing in the recent round of Assembly elections was yet another proof, if it all it was needed, of the existential crisis that the party is facing.
One electoral defeat after the other has laid bare the inherent deficiencies in the party’s organisational structure and its dwindling ability to fight the elections. The leadership vacuum at the top was left unattended and the issues and concerns raised by the party seniors were brushed under the carpet.
Surrounded by a small and diminishing coterie of sycophants, the party’s first family has remained immune to the ground realities, rejected repeated calls for internal reforms, and refused to overhaul the party machinery to bring in a transparent and democratic system of organizational elections. It is this refusal to allow new leadership to emerge and new ideas to flourish, that has cost the party dearly in the electoral battles.
Even after the back-to-back defeat in the general elections, the party failed to undertake the promised organisational revamp. It is yet to act on the Ashok Chavan Committee report that analyzed the reasons for the Congress’ defeat in Kerala and West Bengal last year.
If the Congress continues to act like this, it will slowly lose relevance and parties like AAP and TMC are waiting to occupy the role of principal opposition. It is a do-or-die situation for the Congress now.