Reluctant Rahul can do no good

In the nine months since it suffered its worst defeat in the general elections, the Congress has only moved from weakness to more weakness and from confusion to more of it. The party lost more elections and power in important states like Maharashtra and Haryana since then, and was humiliatingly wiped out in Delhi. Its support bases have started shrinking or shifting, and the ranks and supporters are dispirited. There has not been any effort to lift the party out of its bad straits at the level of ideas, in terms of an agenda, by re-energising the organisation or, importantly, by providing leadership and guidance. State level leadership does not matter much in a party like the Congress. That is one main reason for its failure to be relevant in times of adversity. But when even the centre does not hold, things certainly start falling apart.

Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s decision to take leave of absence for an unspecified period will only be seen in this light. He has always been seen in the party and by the country as a reluctant leader, and it is odd that he wants take time off to ‘’reflect on recent events and the future course of the party’’ when the party most needs a sense of purpose and direction. A leader only weakens his position by being away from the party and the people when he is most needed. There is no need for the solitude of the mountains or the calm of foreign shores to shape political strategies. They evolve from contact with the people and involvement in issues of import for them. When chinks are seen in the NDA government’s politics and performance, Rahul’s place is within the country. But when an important Budget session of Parliament has started he is not seen or heard.

Neither the proffered reason nor the speculated reasons for the sabbatical are convincing. If Rahul wants to get rid of the old guard and shape the party to his wishes, he should be working for it within the party. If the getaway is a tantrum, it only shows inability to address the party’s ills and a failure of leadership. Rahul has not accepted any real responsibility for the party’s decline, and he has hardly inspired the country. The mantle of party presidency may fall on his unsure shoulders in the soon-to-be-held AICC session. But if he is not ready to face the rough and tumble of politics, no magic remedy or a roadmap for revival thought up in wilderness will help him or the party.