Much has happened in her absence to her dismay. When Mrs. Gandhi left for the US on August 2, Anna crisis was threatening to loom large but it was not full blown. Amar Singh was not arrested on cash for vote scam. The Bellary mining barons, the Reddy brothers were not arrested nor was a charge sheet filed against Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late Dr. Rajashekhar Reddy. BJP leader L.K. Advani did not announce his seventh Rath Yatra. The Delhi High Court blasts had not shocked the country. Manmohan Singh government was not moving from one crisis to another exposing the governance deficit. Also, when she left the party was in tact but today a confused Congress is twiddling its thumbs not knowing who is handling the affairs and also dismayed at the growing gap between the government and the party.

Now that she is back, it is not known how soon Mrs. Gandhi will be able to attend to the party and the UPA affairs. Details about her health are still kept as a secret. No one, not even the Prime Minister is permitted to visit her to enquire about her health. It is rumored in the power corridors that she may take a while to get back to work. So her first priority is to get well soon so that she can attend to normal work. The only signals coming from 10 Janpath are that the four member group set up before her departure to look into the party affairs, has been disbanded and in her name statements condemning the Delhi High Court bomb blasts had been issued acknowledging her presence.

Secondly, during her absence, Rahul Gandhi’s image has fallen as he did not take control of the party or play any significant role in resolving the Anna crisis. When he visited the High Court bomb blast victims in the hospital, the angry crowd booed him, and this was the first time he faced such an unruly mob, which has shaken the confidence of the party. Sonia Gandhi has to make efforts along with her son to do some damage control if the family is keen to install him as the next prime minister. A Rahul fatigue seems to be setting in both within the party and also among the public. The party thought that the young Gandhi might prove his mettle and tackle the crisis in the government as well as the party in her absence. On the contrary, he decided to remain aloof leaving the party in dismay. He had lost the moment to prove his leadership. If he wants to establish his credentials, the ensuing Assembly elections to UP may be the next opportunity. As time is running out, she has an important task of persuading her reluctant son to take more responsibility.

Thirdly, Sonia Gandhi has to impress upon her rank and file all is well now that she is back. The party should be rejuvenated and involved in the task of fighting the opposition propaganda against the government. The party should also get ready to face the crucial Assembly polls early next year. How much Sonia Gandhi will be able to campaign for the party is not known after her surgery. So the whole burden may fall on Rahul Gandhi, as it is only the mother- son duo that is the star campaigners for the party.

Fourthly, the UPA allies are flexing their muscles and the coordination between the Congress and these allies needs much to be desired. The ties with the Trinamool Congress and the DMK have soured in the past few weeks. Less than four months after the new Government has taken over, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is having differences with the Centre on Teesta water issue as well as Communal Harmony Bill. The local Congress has already complained to Rahul Gandhi about behavior of the TMC and insists that the Congress should go it alone in the ensuing Panchayat polls. The DMK has been sulking since the arrest of Raja and Kanimozhi. Before the relationship sours further, they have to be tackled.

Fifthly, the credibility of the government, which has been tumbling from one crisis to another in the past few weeks, needs to be restored. It may take sometime to rebuild the image. The infighting within the cabinet also needs to be tackled on an urgent basis. The government is giving an impression that it is direction- less and drifting and a sense of purpose and direction needs to be given.

For an ailing person, these may be stupendous tasks but Sonia Gandhi is a fighter and she will make all out efforts to restore confidence. Senior Congress leaders point out that after all, when she came to politics twelve years ago, the Congress was in the opposition and many were deserting the party. It was her resolve to fight the BJP even by leading a coalition, which helped the party to come to power in 2004. They feel that her very presence in the capital would go a long way in restoring normalcy but they admit that it would be hard work to set things right. The general mood in the party is that if they go for polls, the party would get a beating in view of the present depressing image. The only consolation is that the BJP is in no better shape and so is the left. Will the Congress and Sonia Gandhi be able to rebuild the lost image? Only time will tell. (IPA Service)