Numbers give strength. Especially when it’s an open rebellion. The G-23, a group of dissenting senior leaders of the Congress, seeks sweeping change within the party. Numerically, many more have joined the group since August 2020 when their belligerence became public and noisy. The power contest underway now shows the extreme fragility of the Grand Old Party; fragmented and struggling to maintain relevance. It doesn’t help that the Congress lost in all five states in the recently concluded Assembly elections.
What will the G-23 do now? How hard will it push for change? Will it split the Congress? What will the Gandhis do?
The dinner at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence on the night of 16 March has triggered these questions.
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To begin with, the Gandhis do need to set the cat among the pigeons by letting Kapil Sibal go. A professional attorney, Sibal first entered Rajya Sabha in 1998 to represent Bihar. Before that he had unsuccessfully contested for a Lok Sabha seat against Sushma Swaraj. He later contested from Chandni Chowk and won twice in 2004 and 2009. Undoubtedly, he is an excellent lawyer but that’s about it. He has been an inherent appendage of the Congress for years now. By saying the party should move beyond the Gandhis, he is begging to be fired.
Jettisoning a high-profile veteran from the party will send warning signals down the rank and file. Step two, find diplomatic off-ramps with the pliable but powerful Ghulam Nabi Azad. At times, one must press the trigger to convey a message.
The G-23 does not want to split the Congress party. It has made that stand very evident. With a rampaging BJP and all-powerful Narendra Modi plus powerful regional entities; the G-23 on its own would become more of a lost lamb. Its best bet is to stay under the umbrella of the Grand Old Party and jostle for greener chunks of turf.
The fresh demands of G-23 list out the following points:
- An elected leadership that can build a viable strategy leading up to the 2024 General Elections
- No coterie (reference to those around Rahul and Priyanka) should take a suo moto call on issues that matter
- Clarity on leadership
- The Congress to adopt the model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels.
- Internal elections to infuse energy, fresh blood and responsibility.
It’s hard to miss how quickly the Gandhis blinked. Pressure does strange things to the human mind. Perhaps the celebrated world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson put it very succinctly; “Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.” Undoubtedly, the Gandhis have been sucker-punched.
Rahul met former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at short notice. Hooda came out to say the G-23 was not asking for a party split. See how the narrative changes. Other members of G-23 threw more punches from the shadows: Listen to us or else we plan to go public: Public meetings would follow, and so media chatter would pick up pace.
Buckling under the heat, Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have spoken to senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. This could lead to a direct meeting. The G-23 leaders say the “only way forward” for the party was to adopt a model of “collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels.”
The timing of the G-23 pushback is excellent. They know Sonia and the two siblings have their backs to the wall. This is the perfect time for change. But there are some within the party who don’t agree.
Veerappa Moily said, “These developments are not good. Some of the greatest leaders have presided over INC. So, this kind of meeting is not desirable. I have no problem with leaders introspecting. But going hammer and tongs through G-23 and institutionalising it is wrong. Reform should be constant. A committee was formed under my leadership earlier. We had a number of sittings and then came out with the first report.”
In sharp contrast, Shankersinh Vaghela of Gujarat fame lands a swinging hook: “No one has faith in Rahul Gandhi. And Priyanka is not even in the picture.”
The genteel Sandeep Dikshit, son of the illustrious Sheila Diskshit, jabs, but gently. He claims to have received several offers from other political parties. But he is a loyalist. The Coterie must be dismantled. “Make the Congress even stronger. The Gandhis must listen to them.”
Like I said, the G-23 never had the numbers or timing earlier. But now they are a bloc. As they continue speaking to more party workers the domino effect would rattle Sonia and company. I know Sonia alone can hammer out a compromise. But what about RG? Will RG be forced to change?
Will this lead to a Sonia Congress? The Congress has split more than 70 times since 1947.
"We demand the Congress party to initiate dialogue with other likeminded forces to create a platform to pave the way for a credible alternative for 2024. The next steps will be announced soon."
The statement was signed by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Sandeep Dixit, PJ Kurien, Kuldeep Sharma, Vivek Tankha, MA Khan, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Raj Babbar and Prithviraj Chavan.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who till recently was a fence-sitter on the matter, wrote on Twitter, "I have learned so much from my mistakes, I'm thinking of making a few more."
This show is not over yet. The G-23 has made a full frontal attack. The Gandhis would have to send a counter message either directly or through their loyalists. Let’s face it, Rahul would be carrying the party forward . And he deserves and needs a team of his own. Undeniably, the experience some of the leaders in G-23 have is way superior to RG. Yet, the general should be backed.
No matter how collective a decision is made out to be, ultimately the final call is that of the general. RG needs to take on the mantle officially. He needs to stand resolute in the face of threats, indiscipline and misinformation. Most of the G-23 members are way, way past their shelf life; not in a position to win an election and lacking a mass base; yet their erudition and experience could be an asset. But not necessarily viable or useful for RG and company. This is a generational shift.
The Congress won’t die even if Modi’s dream of a “Congress-mukt Bharat” (India free of Congress) is realised. It is the Grand Old Party that has weathered many insurrections, dissensions and uprisings. Its ethos and essence is too deep-rooted to see an absolute wipeout.
The Congress is not faced with extinction. It is faced with the challenge of regeneration. This internal battle could help.
The author is CEO of nnis. Views expressed are personal
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March 17, 2022 at 08:49PM
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