Sonia and Party

Congress should ask itself what it stands for, not just what its president stands for

Sonia Gnadhi8217;s post-resignation encounter with Rae Bareli went according to script. There was certainly a lot of emotional energy on display there. The invocation of the Nehru-Gandhi association with the constituency, the projection of personal vulnerability in the face of the 8220;systematic targeting8221; of 8220;implacable foes8221; of the Family, the reiteration that this is a battle that will be fought decisively, all this should translate seamlessly into a commendable win for the Congress president in the not-too-distant future.

But from the dust of a Rae Bareli spring, there is a question that the Congress Party would do well to confront. Is the Congress Party investing too much in Sonia Gandhi8217;s persona, and not enough in its own? If that is indeed the case, the party would do well to re-think its political strategy because while Sonia Gandhi is quite capable of looking after her political fortunes and that of her family, the same cannot be said about her party8217;s capacity to look after itself. If the Congress Party continues to play Sonia Gandhi8217;s little lamb, it would be compromising dangerously on its political credibility as a pan-Indian national party with a 120-year history.

This lack of investment in the party, rather than in 10 Janpath, manifests itself in curious situations. Conspicuous among them is the inability of individual party members to shed old mindsets and cherished shibboleths to defend the gains of the UPA government and claim ownership of its policies. It needed the Congress president to write an editorial in the party journal, Sandesh, to set the record straight in this regard. It needed the Sonia Gandhi to defend the record of the Manmohan Singh government in entering into a 8220;landmark agreement with the United States8221;, and speak unabashedly about the need for 8220;growth8221; to achieve goals in equity. Again, it needed Sonia Gandhi to state clearly that such a policy in no way undermines India8217;s religious pluralism or threatens the Muslim community in the country. How many Congress members have you heard using such language, and with such conviction? And what does that tell you about the level of ideological maturity within the party and unity between party and government? As elections to five assemblies draw closer, they bring with them a reminder of the next general election. The Congress Party would do well to ask itself what it stands for 8212; and not just what its president stands for.