What does a contest for the Congress President position mean for democracy?

Congress must choose a President. Be it Gandhi or a non-Gandhi

Amidst the turmoil in Rajasthan, the question of who will become the Congress President has become more intriguing. Before stepping down as Congress President, Rahul Gandhi had entrusted a group of people to search for a new Congress President. This was mentioned in his earnest resignation letter. Three years on, Congress only has an interim President. Therefore, the party must choose one. It has now undertaken the historic and tough task of electing a Congress President through a contest.

The Congress party is all set to rewrite history now, with the announcement of the Congress President election, in which a contest would take place after 21 years. No other National political party, State party or recognized political party — and there are 2858 of them in the country — has had a contest for the position of the party President, in recent times.

Volumes of newspaper columns have been filled with the analysis of the same, but there are five aspects that political commentators and op-ed writers have missed about these key elections, a precursor for the future ahead for the principal opposition party.

First, Rahul Gandhi has always supported internal democracy in the functioning of the Indian National Congress. And his stepping away from the contest strongly signals that.

It is Rahul Gandhi who started the process of internal elections at the Youth Congress & NSUI levels. Even though there was serious scepticism within the party organisation, the Youth Congress elections still take place. A recent one is being held in Goa, where the party has lost 8 MLAs to BJP and wants to imbibe some fresh blood into the organisation.

During the Lok Sabha 2014 elections, Rahul Gandhi experimented with the Primaries. A U.S-style internal candidate selection process through voting. 16 Lok Sabha Constituencies went for the Primaries, and even though the move was heavily resisted within the party, even led to rebellion in many states. Rahul Gandhi did persist to carry on the experiment to democratise the party and to ‘end the high-command culture’.

Critics can question the decisions pursued by Rahul Gandhi, but no one question that the intent to democratize and decentralize the functioning of the GOP was not right. Even recently, during a post-fortnight press meet, in the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, he has evocatively laid down how he envisions the next Congress President to be and has emphasized the ideological commitment and democratic philosophy of the candidate.

Second, Udaipur Chintan Shivir did not have a perfect roadmap for revival, but important aspects of the declaration are being acted upon.

Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir had a broad roadmap for revival, which also includes on-post, one person. It envisaged the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which albeit, only from north to south, is taking place.

What the Chintan Shivir missed was going back to the age-old tradition of holding Congress Sessions. These, in the past, have been instrumental in providing a blueprint for the party’s policies and programme — a necessary requisite in today’s times, as the young want an agenda of governance for the future.

This age-old convention of holding Congress session should be, in my opinion, held thrice a year — Budget Session, Monsoon Session & Winter Session. (just like the Parliament!) And they should not be held in Delhi. These would act as platforms for cohesive narrative building and would act as an open platform for deliberation on key national issues.

Third, Whoever becomes the Congress President, shall have her/his task cut out to radically reform the party. Since the pie of political power is shrinking, vested interests have crept into the party and are threatening its survival. Critics of the Congress should not forget that still it commands 11 Crore votes from the Indian electorate (2019 Lok Sabha) and has the largest opposition in Parliament. Having said that, the Congress Presidency is now being seen as a tough task. But an experienced hand and selfless service may change the game for the future.

The contest which has now spilled over to Rajasthan has taught one lesson — without the Gandhis, it is difficult to keep the Congress together. Both the Gandhis and the prospective non-Gandhi President will benefit from this perception, however, the task of keeping the Congress party together shall still be shouldered by the Gandhis.

Fourth, with the BJP and its politics becoming the anchor of Indian politics, it is high time, the principal opposition party reinvigorates itself, to earn credibility in the eyes of the electorate.

This does not need much analysis. Congress, with all its ideological confusions, is the best bet for an anti-BJP coalition.

Does the party need to be more Centrist — like its true progressive, liberal, and nationalistic form? Or does it want to continue to pander to Leftist ideas, to stick to the shrinking liberal space — both in terms of culture and economics?

Isn’t Congress the party, which spearheaded the National Movement? Wasn’t the Left, its principal opposition in the decade post-independence? Is Left the only antidote to Right? Or is there an all-encompassing ideology which can take on the Right, without pandering to the Left?

Is it good to criticize corporate India, in the name of ‘crony capitalism’?

All these questions need to be answered and worked upon by the future Congress President.

Fifth, Indian democracy shall be strengthened because a contest would lead credence to the Indian National Congress as a robust organisation, that functions transparently, unlike political parties that simply nominate their heads.

The future Congress President has an onerous task of reviving a party with a baggage. Gandhis should either step up to the task or facilitate a smooth transition.

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