New youth brigade of Congress

The Congress is suffering through pain of transition. This transition is in the direction of making new Congress from the old Congress. This transition may be not of merely a structure but also its outlook, language and symbolic faces. In such a transition, many leaders who don’t find themselves comfortable in the new political eco-system are leaving the party. On the other hand, new leaders from other political groups and civil societies are joining it. In both situations, the party is facing jerks -jerks for gain and loss, both.

We easily understand the jerks due to loss, but any gains or additions also create turmoil, may be a minor one in terms of intensity; but it can sustain till new elements get adjusted in the party. For a stronger political party, such jerks don’t create major impact, but if it is weak, it gets various cuts and wounds on its political body. This is happening with the Congress today. It is suffering through both kinds of jerks -positive and negative.

Read | Congress tilts ‘left-of-centre’?

Sometimes, history produces conditions which results in accidents in auspiciousness. Recently, the same happened with Congress. On the one hand, youth leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar joined the party and Jignesh Mevani supported it; on the other, Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the post of president of Punjab Congress (but later withdrew it), and Captain Amrinder Singh, who resigned as chief minister, seemed sympathetic to BJP. Kanhaiya emerged as leftist student leader from the student politics of Jawahar Lal Nehru University and Jignesh evolved as a political face from anti-atrocity protest in Gujarat and other parts of India.

Their entry in the Congress may cultivate certain political repercussions for the party and the politics of country. First of all, both of them are a media attraction due to various reasons, their entry may help Congress add some more visibility in its image. Secondly, we have observed that since the last few years, Congress is trying to invent itself as party of youths, in spite of many important youth leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindhia and Jitin Prasada deserting the party. The entry of Kanhaiya and Jignesh may help Congress rebuild its image as the party of youth and new bloods.

Thirdly, both the leaders may work in their respective states - Bihar and Gujarat - to strengthen the party. Congress may use them as leaders in these states as well; this may provide them with a chance to develop as leaders of national stature. As we know, Congress is trying hard to regain ground in both the states. These leaders may help the Congress strengthen its base in their caste and community.

Read | Dissidence woes mount for Congress

Kanhaiya Kumar belongs to the Bhumihar caste which is strong and an opinion-maker community in the region and Jignesh Mewani belongs to Dalits, which is a politically important community in the entire country. Earlier, Dalits were the base vote of the Congress. The Dalit disillusionment was one of the important causes of the weakening of the Congress. The Congress is making various efforts to regain its Dalit electoral and political base. The appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi from Dalit community as chief minister of Punjab is necessarily a part of that agenda. The party may use Jignesh also to influence Dalits in various parts of country.

It is interesting to note that earlier, Congress was a multivocal party, used to speak language of right and left together, based on time and situation. But now, it seems that leftist diction is being dominant in its language and programme which is fixing it as a party of `centre towards left’. The language of left which is entering the Congress, itself failed to impress larger section of the people and their political imagination.

The party, which is strong, may accommodate other dictions as an element of its meta-political language but in the case of Congress, these outside dictions are echoing on much higher tone than the natural `Congressi’ diction. It is difficult to say how these new shifts in the tone and tenor of Congress’ political diction is going to help the party regain its popularity. It is true that both these leaders have their own constituencies and their own admirers but the leaders who acquire popularity beyond their own constituency, may emerge as leaders of ‘future’.

Read | Congress leaders cannot even coordinate their lies properly: Amarinder Singh

Kanhaiya Kumar is good orator, his oratory appears as polemical rhetoric and this could not yet reflect its visionary content. He argues but is yet to evolve a capacity to transform an argument to create emotional connect with masses. He is an outcome of campus politics and has no experience of doing politics on the field and with common masses. To become a mass leader, he needs to evolve a language which may interact with common Indian mind which, in many cases, is not left but secular. Similarly, Jignesh also interacts in the language of NGOs or civil society groups which is also not a language of common Dalit masses.

While joining Congress, both of them said that ‘desh bachaane ke liye Congress bachaana jaruri hai’ (To save the country, there is need to save Congress). These leaders and Congress may have to prove that their metaphor of’ Desh’ is more comfortable and futuristic than the ‘Rashtra’ which BJP proposes as sashakt, samahari and Vikasman Bharat (strong, inclusive and development oriented India). Again, we will have to see how these leaders and their rhetoric of saving (bachaana) respond to the BJP’s articulation in a phrase like ’strengthen (Sashakt)’.

Also Read | Rejuvenation of Congress must not marginalise loyalists

The Congress and its new youth brigade may have to understand that during these few decades, the mindset of larger section of society is moved towards Hindutva consciousness due to various socio-political changes. In this condition, the diction which Congress, Kanhaiya, Jignesh are going to disseminate may be not succeed in impressing a section of people.

The media image, social media likes and followers of trollers may give a certain kind of popularity but they have not yet shown the quality which may evolve trust about their leadership among public.

Another caution I may pose is that when youth leaders start engaging in public politics, their caste image get developed after some time and ruin their image as leader of all. Both the youth leaders may need to be aware about such dangers. Also needs to be watched is how their language and rhetoric get adjusted in ‘Congressi’ meta-language.

(The writer is Director, G B Pant Social Science Institute (A Constituent Institute of Central University of Allahabad)