India’s oldest party reloads its strategy
Congress 2.0 banks on Rahul’s ideology, Kharge’s political mettle and Priyanka’s campaigning to take on BJP juggernaut
In India, Sachin Pilot, now the Congress rebel with his own cause, has been squarely told by the Gandhi family trio that his grievances against perennial rival Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, will be handled by party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul Gandhi makes it a point to visit Kharge’s residence and have joint meetings with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is fast emerging as the central figure of opposition unity against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kharge took, and more importantly, was seen to be taking all the decisions relating to who would become the chief minister of Karnataka when Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar faced off. Sonia Gandhi left Delhi for cooler climes, emphasising that she, the longest-serving Congres president, was not backseat driving her successor.
This is the second time that the Gandhi family, which wields outsized influence and power in the party, is publicly deferring to the president. Earlier, Sonia had shown similar respect for Dr Manmohan Singh, who she had chosen and who served as the two-term prime minister of India.
By emphasising that Kharge is not a mere figurehead party president, the Gandhi family has managed to cease being the punching bag for all the problems afflicting the Congress and actually focus on the politics they enjoy. Therefore, Rahul is now comfortable in his role as the party’s chief ideologue, resetting its ideology to the left of centre. He wants the Congress to be a pro-poor party with welfarism at the heart of its agenda. The five guarantees in Karnataka and the selection of Siddaramaiah, from the shepherd caste, for the top job are all indicative of the new populist turn of the Congress party.
Rahul Gandhi experiences real India
The Bharat Jodo Yatra has completely transformed Rahul. Perhaps, for the first time, he interacted with real Indians, unfettered by security. He was previously trapped in a security bubble and was a victim of a certain image assiduously created by the BJP. Judging by the impact the Yatra had in Karnataka, India liked what it saw.
Priyanka Gandhi’s strengths have been her ability to communicate with the public and enthuse the Congress workers. With the organisational reboot, she is now the party’s chief campaigner as was evident in the Himachal Pradesh elections and in the Karnataka campaign.
Sonia is the only leader in India who is serious about retirement and has ensured a transition to Kharge on organisational issues. He does not find her looking over his shoulder in decision-making. She is so concerned about the optics of not calling the shots that she left Delhi when the Karnataka leadership issue was being resolved.
Congress 2.0 is a joint show between Kharge, who handles the party organisation, Rahul as the chief ideologue offering firm resistance to the idea of Hindu rashtra and taking on Modi head-on, with Priyanka as the chief campaigner. This new version of India’s oldest political party takes no prisoners and is ready for a fight.