The Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s plan to revive the state unit has hit several hurdles because of internecine feuds. It is an open secret that the Congress remains a divided house. Old caste and class affinities continue to impinge the political course. This is the reason that the party in spite of winning 27 seats in the assembly election, is finding it a tough proposition to evolve a methodology to resurrect the organization in the state. In the existing situation it would be naïve to construe that the electoral gain will resurrect the party in the state and restore its old glory.

Most of the leaders nurse the view that the party instead of joining the Nitish government should have extended outside help. By joining the government the party has lost the initiative and failed to slice out its own independent space in the state. Even at all the party was keen to join the Nitish government, it should have selected the probable minister with much care and thorough analysis of the political gains. After a series of debacles this victory has certainly come as a major morale booster. But to preserve the gains is the herculean task. Little doubt getting this high number of seats can only be attributed to their joining the Mahagathbandhan and the projection of Nitish as the chief ministerial candidate. However the rules of real politick has its own permutation and compulsions.

Congress must not be under illusion that it won on its strength and merit. It is a known fact that since the rise of OBC politics in the state of Bihar, the Congress has been on a constant decline. It started dissipating since nineties. After 1990 the party literally lost its relevance and identity in the state. This even put a major question mark on the very existence of the party in the state of Bihar.

In fact long before the elections were announced a euphoria was generated that the Rahul Gandhi's 'right medicine' will help resuscitate the party in Bihar, where it has been out of power for the last two decades. It was even said that the Congress would go to polls on its own. But later developments proved that the very concept was immature if not untenable. In fact it is the lingering fall out of the Rahul medicine that the party is faced with fresh problem. Interestingly the Congress sought votes in the name of Nitish Kumar and not Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi.

Old timers and even a section of the young leaders strongly share the view that the Congress leadership must start a purging process in the party from the national level. In the present situation the persons committed to organization have no voice. They ask how the confidential documents relating to National Herald which should have been in the possession of the leadership reached to Subramaniam Swamy? Obviously someone having access to the leadership played this mischief.

There is a move to have a new state president in place of the incumbent Ashok Choudhary. Utter confusion grips the party on this issue. While a section of the leaders are of the view that somebody from the upper caste Bhumihar or Brahmin should be new face, others hold that the present set up should not be disturbed. Yet there is a section which feels the Congress, struggling to revive its fortunes in Bihar, should have a dalit face. In fact at a ceremony organised by the SC-ST wing of the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of her father Babu Jagjiwan Ram, Meira Kumar had said: “I am ready to take over the responsibility, if needed. I cannot step back. I am always available for Bihar.”

Congress is still in the process to evolve a concrete strategy to build on the revival project in Bihar whether leadership of the state unit should be in the hands of an upper caste or backward or dalit or a Muslim. Incidentally Rahul Gandhi held a series of meetings with party workers and leaders for nearly three months after the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Rahul met state leaders who had been lawmakers for long but never served either in the government or in the organization. The move was primarily aimed at meeting those leaders who were either sidelined by the state leadership or left disgruntled and check factionalism. But this hardly worked.

Interestingly these wide speculations and suggestions are based on perception to the BJP machinations. The Congress is desperate to gain back its traditional support and caste base. They intend to turn the loss of BJP into their gain. The upper castes of Bihar had shifted its loyalty to BJP in protest against Lalu Prasad emergence as the messiah of backwards and his misrule in Bihar. Nevertheless the Congress sharing power with Lalu may not induce the upper caste people to desert their new found love, BJP and switch over to the Congress.

The Congress leadership must not be under any illusion that it has found its roots in Bihar, or charisma of Rahul Gandhi worked in its favour. The party must adopt a pragmatic approach to the existing political scenario. Reviving the party in Bihar is a daunting task ahead for Gandhi. Gone are the days when the image of angry young man would fetch the results. The leadership must not construe the defeat of the BJP as its losing its sheen and relevance. Pitted against RSS pracharak Narendra Modi, the Congress is attempting to retrieve lost ground among the majority Hindu community. (IPA Service)