The present political crisis in Rajasthan is only symptomatic. If one looks at a big picture, the party is destroying itself mainly due to the power struggle between the old guard and the young Turks. Instead of following the dictum “a stich in time saves nine” the Congress high command, has allowed the already weakened party to drift further. Even after losing two consecutive Lok Sabha Polls there has been no effort to address the malaise. It is not surprising that younger leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia earlier and Sachin Pilot are now looking for greener pastures elsewhere.

While the Congress President Sonia Gandhi managed to anoint her son Rahul in 2017 as the party chief, she did not pay attention to a smooth transition. It is this lapse, which is at the bottom of the power struggle now. Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he is not comfortable with the old guard and the old guard is resisting his new ideas wanting the status quo to continue.

Ironically even when it managed to get the big states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan two years ago, it has not been able to retain them. The Congress leadership failed to see the crisis brewing for the past two years when the two young and ambitious leaders —Sachin in Rajasthan and Scindia in Madhya Pradesh were denied the top post and chose the old guard — Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as chief ministers. The high command did nothing to resolve this power struggle.

As for electoral success, the Congress has not been in power for decades in U.P since 1989, West Bengal since 1977, Tamil Nadu since 1977, Gujarat since 1985 and Odisha since 2000. Even in the northeast, the Congress has lost its hold. Despite this slide, the Congress won 11 crores votes in 2019.

To keep the BJP out it needs a united Congress, good alliance partners, strengthening at the gross root level and a new narrative.

There is a vacuum at the top with the party workers confused about designation term ‘interim president ‘as Sonia was called when she took back the presidency after Rahul resigned in August. There are many who think that the party should have a non- Gandhi as its president but the party is stuck with the Gandhis.

It is in this context the present power struggle should be seen. The old guard frowns upon the ambitious young Turks and the latter is impatient. Even the ‘Team Rahul’ is splintering going by the way two of his close friends—Scindia and Pilot have rebelled. The exit of the others like Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada also cannot be ruled out sooner or later. The BJP’s strategy has been to import leaders of stature from other parties to weaken the rivals. The BJP is in a position to lure them with positions.

Also there is urgent need to strengthen the party at the gross toot level. The Congress is still alive in some villages and there is enough talent in the party to revive it but there is no direction or strategy. Those who enter the Congress are anglicised young men and women who are impatient to get positions in the party. The membership is eroding and there is no drive to attract new members. The party had a commitment earlier but today it is power, which lures the members. This is the dilemma the Congress is facing.

This is not the first time the Congress party is facing the power struggle as it had faced it earlier also. Indira Gandhi snatched the power from the powerful syndicate who was against her in the late sixties. Every party president or prime Minister wants to have his own loyalists and this generational shift is making it difficult. Unfortunately the Congress is not in power now. Sonia Gandhi took over the party in 1998 when there was erosion and she was able to arrest it and bring the party to power not once but twice. Today, the same Sonia is helpless.

The easiest way out would be to counsel patience to the younger leaders while making it clear to the old guard that the dead wood need to go. A blend of both the old and young leaders would go a long way in resolving this issue.

The Congress has only two options —revive or perish. It is up to the party to choose as living in the past glory is not an answer. There is still time to act. (IPA Service)