Congress and its prospects of going solo in 2024

Going by the deep flux within the nation’s political panorama, one is tempted to ask if it’s not higher for the Congress to go it alone in 2024 as an alternative of lugging alongside the burdens of the remaining. The same query was requested by regional events within the current previous: ought to they quietly handle their turfs and terrains as an alternative of sinking with the Congress?

Even when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was occurring, not many regional leaders had been able to stroll alongside Rahul Gandhi. But issues considerably modified: with nice circumspection and palpable contradictions, an alliance was fashioned (or continues to be forming) a couple of months in the past. The secular-regional entities and the secular nationwide celebration buried their variations to combat the Narendra Modi-led BJP. They gave themselves essentially the most contrived acronym to sound like a single pressure: I.N.D.I.A.

However, whilst we started to assume that the alliance had began off somewhat properly after three conferences in Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai, there are already indicators of implosion written throughout. Even earlier than the overcrowded coordination committee constituted after the Mumbai version might meet in mid-September, there was just about a twister uprooting the timber.

Look on the controversy that has simply erupted over Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statements vis-à-vis the ‘eradication’ of ‘Sanatana Dharma’. His assertion was cleverly interpreted as containing ‘genocidal intent’ by many on the intense proper as a result of he used the language of pestilence and pandemics. Even with out this excessive interpretation, the assertion has quietly served the majoritarian impulse of the BJP and the defenders of the religion.

If Udhayanidhi had used the language of social justice and spoken pointedly on treacherous caste hierarchies throughout the Hindu religion, maybe there would have been no controversy. But the Dravidian hyperbole, cultivated with nice diligence, doesn’t enable something to be expressed with affordable calm. The rationalism of the Periyarist selection is usually not only a drumbeat however a demise beat. There is inherent violence within the rhetoric they generate generally. The demagoguery of Tamil Dravidian nationalism is so extremely sharp that it even excludes different linguistic cultures within the south of India. That is a cultural side which most of India above Vindhyas doesn’t simply grapple.

If Udhayanidhi and his celebration, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), stick with the assertion and provide no regrets, then throughout the current Tamil cultural house, the straightforward calculation is that they stand to realize electorally. This is maybe why Stalin’s son has stated he’ll repeat what he has stated many instances over. But the query is, the place does it go away the Congress celebration throughout India? The BJP is aware of it can not simply sink the DMK in Tamil Nadu however will use Udhayanidhi’s assertion to sink the Congress elsewhere by projecting them as companions with out religion.

Just observe the vary of reactions, or somewhat the utter confusion, to Udhayanidhi’s assertion throughout the Congress. There is the platitudinous line that Congress respects all religions (Ok C Venugopal), however there may be additionally a whole rejection of Udhayanidhi’s assertion (Kamal Nath). There is resolute criticism (Karan Singh) and there’s a prepared embrace too (Priyank Kharge). If an ally finally ends up dividing the Congress greater than it’s already divided, then ought to the Congress make its personal plans for 2024?

For Priyank Kharge, a Dalit chief and son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, there may be higher identification with the celebration’s Tamil Nadu ally than his personal celebration’s caste elites. If this controversy will not be about ripping the Congress aside at a deeper degree of identification and self-respect, what else is it? Can Rahul Gandhi publicly condemn the Kharges on this? The Congress might quickly study that secularism and anti-BJPism is simply too common a prop to unite events; the native particulars, the ideological nuances and the languages in each nook of India will destroy the fastidiously and artificially constructed harmonies contained in the I.N.D.I.A alliance. What if each ally of the Congress does what the DMK did? The BJP will solely maintain Congress accountable as a result of that’s electorally the perfect factor for it to do.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi’s yatra and a sea of completely happy photographs

After all, the regional gamers will take care of their very own pursuits first as a result of they’ve fought the BJP when the Congress abdicated the house. From their viewpoint, they’re solely doing what they at all times did. To all of the arguments that the BJP might construct, it should additionally add the current ideological stridency of Rahul Gandhi in opposition to the progenitor of Hindutva—Vinayak Savarkar. Speaking in opposition to Savarkar has created unease among the many Congress’ Maharashtra allies. There once more, the allies have needed to defend their sub-nationalist existence. Where does this go away the Congress when it can not communicate with conviction about something? When the feelings and arithmetic of its regional allies pushes the celebration to put on a cloak of unfeeling, the place should it go?

If ideology is one difficult space for the Congress in a polarised polity, even by way of pragmatic seat-sharing, the regional gamers will push the Congress to concede extra seats than it conceded in 2019, which was round 423. In 2014, Congress had contested 464 seats. More than one regional participant has indicated prior to now that the Congress ought to contest not more than 200 seats. If that is the case, what occurs to the nationwide imprint and vote share of the grand outdated celebration?

Besides electoral changes there can be questions across the management of the secular alliance. Rahul Gandhi is of course doing properly in opinion polls in comparison with different secret rivals throughout the alliance like Nitish Kumar or Mamata Banerjee. We have already seen leaders of the Janata Dal (United) ridiculing their Bihar ally Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal for pushing Gandhi’s candidature for the highest job. Also, Rahul’s mutton dish-making bonhomie with Lalu Yadav will create (or already has) suspicion in their very own Bihar secular grouping.

Rahul Gandhi’s stridency on crony capitalism additionally makes a variety of Congress allies squirm once they really need cash and helicopters to combat elections. Congress concentrating on Modi in absolute phrases on virtually the whole lot he proposes (one election, new Parliament, GST, and many others) additionally doesn’t make his allies completely happy. The lack of moderation and tactical concession, they really feel, doesn’t work properly in a democratic set-up. It hardens the house. How can this dissonance go away?

Sugata Srinivasaraju

Senior Journalist and writer of Strange Burdens: The Politics and Predicaments of Rahul Gandhi

(sugata@sugataraju.in)

Going by the deep flux within the nation’s political panorama, one is tempted to ask if it’s not higher for the Congress to go it alone in 2024 as an alternative of lugging alongside the burdens of the remaining. The same query was requested by regional events within the current previous: ought to they quietly handle their turfs and terrains as an alternative of sinking with the Congress?

Even when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was occurring, not many regional leaders had been able to stroll alongside Rahul Gandhi. But issues considerably modified: with nice circumspection and palpable contradictions, an alliance was fashioned (or continues to be forming) a couple of months in the past. The secular-regional entities and the secular nationwide celebration buried their variations to combat the Narendra Modi-led BJP. They gave themselves essentially the most contrived acronym to sound like a single pressure: I.N.D.I.A.

However, whilst we started to assume that the alliance had began off somewhat properly after three conferences in Patna, Bengaluru and Mumbai, there are already indicators of implosion written throughout. Even earlier than the overcrowded coordination committee constituted after the Mumbai version might meet in mid-September, there was just about a twister uprooting the timber.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

Look on the controversy that has simply erupted over Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statements vis-à-vis the ‘eradication’ of ‘Sanatana Dharma’. His assertion was cleverly interpreted as containing ‘genocidal intent’ by many on the intense proper as a result of he used the language of pestilence and pandemics. Even with out this excessive interpretation, the assertion has quietly served the majoritarian impulse of the BJP and the defenders of the religion.

If Udhayanidhi had used the language of social justice and spoken pointedly on treacherous caste hierarchies throughout the Hindu religion, maybe there would have been no controversy. But the Dravidian hyperbole, cultivated with nice diligence, doesn’t enable something to be expressed with affordable calm. The rationalism of the Periyarist selection is usually not only a drumbeat however a demise beat. There is inherent violence within the rhetoric they generate generally. The demagoguery of Tamil Dravidian nationalism is so extremely sharp that it even excludes different linguistic cultures within the south of India. That is a cultural side which most of India above Vindhyas doesn’t simply grapple.

If Udhayanidhi and his celebration, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), stick with the assertion and provide no regrets, then throughout the current Tamil cultural house, the straightforward calculation is that they stand to realize electorally. This is maybe why Stalin’s son has stated he’ll repeat what he has stated many instances over. But the query is, the place does it go away the Congress celebration throughout India? The BJP is aware of it can not simply sink the DMK in Tamil Nadu however will use Udhayanidhi’s assertion to sink the Congress elsewhere by projecting them as companions with out religion.

Just observe the vary of reactions, or somewhat the utter confusion, to Udhayanidhi’s assertion throughout the Congress. There is the platitudinous line that Congress respects all religions (Ok C Venugopal), however there may be additionally a whole rejection of Udhayanidhi’s assertion (Kamal Nath). There is resolute criticism (Karan Singh) and there’s a prepared embrace too (Priyank Kharge). If an ally finally ends up dividing the Congress greater than it’s already divided, then ought to the Congress make its personal plans for 2024?

For Priyank Kharge, a Dalit chief and son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, there may be higher identification with the celebration’s Tamil Nadu ally than his personal celebration’s caste elites. If this controversy will not be about ripping the Congress aside at a deeper degree of identification and self-respect, what else is it? Can Rahul Gandhi publicly condemn the Kharges on this? The Congress might quickly study that secularism and anti-BJPism is simply too common a prop to unite events; the native particulars, the ideological nuances and the languages in each nook of India will destroy the fastidiously and artificially constructed harmonies contained in the I.N.D.I.A alliance. What if each ally of the Congress does what the DMK did? The BJP will solely maintain Congress accountable as a result of that’s electorally the perfect factor for it to do.

ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi’s yatra and a sea of completely happy photographs

After all, the regional gamers will take care of their very own pursuits first as a result of they’ve fought the BJP when the Congress abdicated the house. From their viewpoint, they’re solely doing what they at all times did. To all of the arguments that the BJP might construct, it should additionally add the current ideological stridency of Rahul Gandhi in opposition to the progenitor of Hindutva—Vinayak Savarkar. Speaking in opposition to Savarkar has created unease among the many Congress’ Maharashtra allies. There once more, the allies have needed to defend their sub-nationalist existence. Where does this go away the Congress when it can not communicate with conviction about something? When the feelings and arithmetic of its regional allies pushes the celebration to put on a cloak of unfeeling, the place should it go?

If ideology is one difficult space for the Congress in a polarised polity, even by way of pragmatic seat-sharing, the regional gamers will push the Congress to concede extra seats than it conceded in 2019, which was round 423. In 2014, Congress had contested 464 seats. More than one regional participant has indicated prior to now that the Congress ought to contest not more than 200 seats. If that is the case, what occurs to the nationwide imprint and vote share of the grand outdated celebration?

Besides electoral changes there can be questions across the management of the secular alliance. Rahul Gandhi is of course doing properly in opinion polls in comparison with different secret rivals throughout the alliance like Nitish Kumar or Mamata Banerjee. We have already seen leaders of the Janata Dal (United) ridiculing their Bihar ally Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal for pushing Gandhi’s candidature for the highest job. Also, Rahul’s mutton dish-making bonhomie with Lalu Yadav will create (or already has) suspicion in their very own Bihar secular grouping.

Rahul Gandhi’s stridency on crony capitalism additionally makes a variety of Congress allies squirm once they really need cash and helicopters to combat elections. Congress concentrating on Modi in absolute phrases on virtually the whole lot he proposes (one election, new Parliament, GST, and many others) additionally doesn’t make his allies completely happy. The lack of moderation and tactical concession, they really feel, doesn’t work properly in a democratic set-up. It hardens the house. How can this dissonance go away?

Sugata Srinivasaraju

Senior Journalist and writer of Strange Burdens: The Politics and Predicaments of Rahul Gandhi

(sugata@sugataraju.in)