Ideals, not deals

Caught up in the arithmetic of electoral politics, leaders at the apex sheltered Hindu 8216;nationalists8217; and courted Sikh and Muslim communalists. They almost seemed to show a talent for making tactical blunders and pursuing unprincipled politics.

How else does one explain the adoption of the infamous Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act of 1989? How else does one explain a district judge disturbing the status quo over the Babri Masjid and resuscitating a controversy that had lain dormant for nearly four decades after Independence?

The ensuing communal polarisation benefitted the BJP rather than the Congress. In June 1991, the BJP and not the Congress increased its share of the vote share from about 11 to over 20 per cent; indeed the BJP was the only national party to increase its percentage of the popular vote, and it did so all over the country.

It swept the 1991 Lok Sabha poll in Gujarat, and formed a government in UP for the first time with a clear majority. Ram scored over Mandal in both the states. That is when secular India was rudely awakened by the loud blowing of conch-shells, and by the growing number of Hindu militants inching their way to the temple of power in New Delhi.

It may not be too late to learn a lesson or two from the mistakes of the past.

For one, the nation has to be convinced that the Congress is equipped to manage mounting social tensions, the caste divide, and religious cleavage. Given BJP8217;s appalling record of governance and its disruptive policies, this may not be such a difficult task. Whether or not the Congress has the wherewithal to communicate this message to its supporters, it must highlight the performance of the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka governments.

Instead of undermining the power base of their chief ministers, a feature commonly attributed to the Congress 8216;system8217; in the past, the High Command should underline the statesmanship and administrative ingenuity displayed by Ashok Gehlot, Digvijay Singh and S.M. Krishna.

Yet, a good deal will have to be done to secure a firm anchorage in the other states. To begin with, the party8217;s image, battered and bruised during Narasimha Rao8217;s inglorious reign, has to be refurbished. Though this is easier said than done, the talent and energy of leaders in their 40s and 50s, some surviving uneasily on the fringes of regional politics, can be pressed into service.

Persuading the existing cadres to stay with Congress and not be lured by caste and communal formations will remain the main challenge during the next few years. The recent machinations in Maharashtra reveal the fragility of opportunistic coalitions, and yet a party with a commanding majority can hope to deliver and stay united.

But how does one keep the flock together in states like UP where power has eluded Congressman for quite a while? It is unlikely that the next president of the UP PCC will find a ready-made solution to this vexed problem, and yet his political survival will depend on his ability to present the Congress as a credible secular alternative with a pan-Indian perspective on national issues.

Secularism was, after all, a major casualty in the 1980s. Indeed, the Congress paid a price for its inconsistency. After years of dithering, however, secularism is back on the Congress agenda. This is good news for all those who wish to safeguard the constitutional regime that has been repeatedly undermined by the BJP government in Gujarat and elsewhere.

Indeed, Sonia Gandhi has shown great sensitivity to the Congress8217;s secular legacy. After the carnage in Gujarat, in particular, she appears to have restored her party8217;s secular image. Her task is unfinished, but while pursuing her larger goals, she may well discover that mobilisation along secular lines will enhance her party8217;s credibility and bolster its electoral prospect.

A fortnight ago, the Congress took the first major step towards clearing the communal debris of the past. Appropriately enough, Bhopal was the site of a Congress extravaganza. Scores of Congressmen gathered from all over India to share their sense of disquiet and air their anxieties over wide-ranging issues covering the 8216;secular8217; and 8216;communal8217; domain. They listened to the non-Congress specialists as well as their own netas, who were charged with the task of responding to nearly 200 questions.

One hopes that this brief encounter in the city of lakes would have sensitised them to the pernicious sangh parivar campaigns. One hopes, furthermore, that fellow-workers at the taluka and district levels will benefit from their experiences. It is hard to measure the success of such an enterprise, but the utility of 8216;8216;mass contact8217;8217; programmes cannot be questioned. Immediate benefits will not accrue, but the Congress initiative, if sustained, will strengthen the party and the nation at large.

Today, Mira Behn8217;s admonition in the early 1950s rings a familiar bell. 8216;8216;The Congress,8217;8217; she told the first president of the Republic, 8216;8216;should recognise that it was the ideals that conquered, and is those ideals alone that can successfully overcome the difficulties and dangers which today surrounds us on all sides.8217;8217;