The Rajasthan resolution
The Congress can smile, but it must introspect too
The month-long crisis in the Congress in Rajasthan has finally come to an end, for now. The crisis was triggered by Sachin Pilot and a set of rebel legislators seeking the removal of chief minister Ashok Gehlot; camping outside the state; defying the party; and exploring alternative political options to bring down their own party’s government. In response, Mr
Gehlot consolidated the remaining legislators and smaller allies — who constitute a majority — in his favour, and won the backing of the party high command, ensuring that his government would remain stable. Eventually, Mr Pilot’s loyalists began to get restless; Mr Pilot himself began to run out of options; and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s own Rajasthan equations meant that the party was happy encouraging the rebellion, but could do so only from a distance. The fact that Mr Pilot kept channels open with Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi helped in finally enabling a face-saver for him, with the party setting up a high-powered committee to examine his grievances. The rebels have returned home to the Congress.
The crisis has reinforced the trend of strong regional leaders in the Congress now running their independent operations, often successfully. This was a party that has been over-centralised, but as the central leadership has got weaker, the locus of power has shifted to the states. This was visible in Punjab in 2017, when Captain Amarinder Singh won the elections. And it has most clearly been visible in Rajasthan, where Mr Gehlot — a rooted leader, with a substantial mass base and following within the party organisation — held his own, fought the rebels, the Opposition and the governor and came out victorious.
But while the Congress can breathe a sigh of relief at having saved its government and prevented a split, the crisis has shown, once again, the structural weaknesses of the party. It has factional feuds in almost every state. The ability of the central leadership in reconciling conflicts is limited. The leadership crisis at the top, and the sense of hopelessness about future prospects, is causing disillusionment among younger leaders — who then are willing to switch ranks. The optics of an internal party battle at a time when the pandemic is raging was not good. While the Rajasthan crisis is resolved for now — thanks to Mr Gehlot’s strength — the party would do well to introspect about what caused it in the first place.