Four days after the Congress called a wrap on its “dissent letter” crisis after a meeting where leaders reaffirmed the Gandhis’ leadership, there are signs to the contrary. The 23 Congress leaders had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking new direction and visible leadership. The letter had created furore during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. Now a Congress unit in Uttar Pradesh has demanded action against all the letter writers, with special mention of former union minister Jitin Prasada. Also, on Thursday, Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the signatories to the “dissident” letter that has rattled the party, delivered a sharp message to the leadership, saying appointed president right now “may not even have one per cent support.”
It seems the Congress is increasingly heading towards some kind of division. A section of leaders are looking for life beyond the Gandhi family while another section is backing them. There is complete disarray in the party. The leaders are busy taking potshots at each other. The Congress is miserably failing to play the role of an effective opposition. It has been found wanting on several occasions. There is clear confusion in the Congress party over the leadership issue. The more the confusion drags on, the more it is going to affect the party workers. In a democratic setup, the role of the opposition party is very important. They are the one who do the check and balance. Unfortunately, the principal opposition party of India is struggling for its own survival.