Sonia worship

The Congress is certainly a party on the move 8212; but the movement for the moment seems to be largely confined to falling at Sonia Gandhi8217;s feet. New Delhi8217;s Talkatora stadium 8212; venue of the All-India Congress Committee session 8212; witnessed a full-scale Mexican Wave as Congress men and women of all shapes and sizes paid their fawning obeisance to their reigning Goddess, even as cries of 8216;Sonia Gandhi zindabad8217; rent the air.

Perhaps it is a measure of Sonia Gandhi8217;s own comfort level with traditional Congress politics that she did not seem to have much of a quarrel with this orgy of sycophancy on display and, in fact, graciously accepted all the tributes, floral and verbal, that came her way. Ma-in-law did it in her time, so why mustn8217;t she? Right? Wrong. The fact is that times have changed from the days when D.K. Barooah crooned the 8216;Indira is India8217; song, or Zail Singh let it be known that if he were asked to sweep the courtyard by his prime minister, he would have no hesitation in doing so. A party that wishes to come across as a modern political outfit with a modernising message 8212; as the Congress clearly wishes to do 8212; cannot be held prisoner to the manacled mindset of an era long gone by. Consequently, if the Congress wants to be taken seriously as a party with a future, it cannot afford to appear shackled by the fawning practices of the past.

There is the argument that this overt display of loyalty to the leader is useful in projecting to the world the image of a united party. But unity can be forged 8212; and be seen to be forged 8212; in numerous ways which do not require the bending of backs or the braising of knees. In fact, a far more unifying force than mere grovelling is the creation of consensus through vibrant inner-party democracy.