Battered Congress keeping faith in Gandhis
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 15, 2022 -

FEW years back, no one would have reckoned that the presence of Indian National Congress legislators in the assembly would shrink to such a drastic low as it is today.

From a political entity that scripted maximum electoral victories in the state including three consecutive terms before the BJP stepped in with its alliance partners in 2017, the Congress party is presently in such a piteous condition that it lacks the number to even qualify to don the role of the main opposition in the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly.

With only five legislators compared to the 28 seats it had won in the previous polls, it's an irony that one of the oldest, well established and powerful political organisations is today in such a pathetic situation that participation of its legislators in parliamentary debates wouldn't make much of an impact in the house with exception of the media lending voice to them.

Among others, the root cause of the party's gradual decadence was the regular efflux of its elected members since arch rival BJP out-raced it to power five years back.

Regardless of the relentless efforts made by its leaders to dilute the growing clout of the BJP in the state's political landscape, Congress party's aura continued to wane after party MLAs continuously jumped ship.

The Congress party not only struggled to keep its house in order but also endured unprecedented and most embarrassing moment when former Wangoi MLA Salam Joy perceived it wise to back BJP candidate Oinam Lukhoi just a day before the election was held.

As had been the tradition, the party took prompt action and either placed the defector legislators under suspension or announced their expulsion.

However, the defection trend persisting till the last few months or days before the just-concluded elections served as a testimony about the gradual decadence of the Congress party.

At the national and regional level too, political significance of the party, which is acclaimed for its proactive involvement in the freedom movement, is rapidly losing its sheen.

The pathetic situation of the party has even enlivened some political commentators to refer to the 1978 work of RK Laxman drawing a cartoon to describe the future of the Congress with the caption: "The real Congress will be so reduced in size through constant splits that a special device will be needed to see it."

The caption of the cartoon that was published 44 years ago is being ascribed as prophetical in view of the Congress suffering huge defeats in the five states where the assembly elections were held.

In what was essentially a damage control exercise, the Congress Working Committee on Sunday deliberated on the election debacle and perceived that keeping faith in the Gandhi family would help revive the party's fortune, unmindful of the fact that the BJP as well as other political organisations had been feasting on its dynastic set up.

With the parliamentary elections due in less than three years, it remains to be seen how productive the decision of the CWC to reaffirm its faith in Sonia Gandhi's leadership would be or what real organisational changes the party could bring about.