The disconnected Hand

For the Congress this is a sobering moment. It is not so much that three of its chief ministers have decisively retreated from power. For th...

For the Congress this is a sobering moment. It is not so much that three of its chief ministers have decisively retreated from power. For them, in fact, it could be a cathartic exercise. In days and weeks ahead, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot and Ajit Jogi will presumably tally the local factors to understand how Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were lost. This round of elections was unique in recent history for the insistency with which the campaign was kept anchored in local issues 8212; the now famous bijli-sadak-pani checklist. So, as they inquire into their defeat, they may well find themselves rediscovering the states they governed.

But for the Congress, for its national leadership, the predicament is more than the sum of its parts. From Bhopal, Jaipur and Raipur, the message is sharp and clear. After elections fought in the middle ground 8212; on issues of development, representation and governance that were once the forte of the Grand Old Party 8212; it appears to have been left stranded. The party that majestically announced a programme to 8216;8216;reclaim8217;8217; its 8216;8216;rightful place8217;8217; in India8217;s polity at its Vichar Manthan Shivir in Shimla just five months ago appears bereft of roadmap or wherewithal to return to a semblance of its old status as a natural party of governance. In its aspirations to return to its pre-eminent position of yore, it is unfortunately residing in the past.

Elections 2003 have shown that the voter is drawn to visions for development in which she has a tangible stake. After a decade and more of often painful economic reforms, the voter has announced his preference for progress over populism. It is ironic that the Congress, whose own government at the Centre kickstarted those reforms, has rewinded further back in history to supplement outdated populism with incoherent critiques of liberalisation and reform. It is also reaping the bitter dividends of believing that a charismatic leader, one touched by the Nehru-Gandhi mystique, is enough to rally the crowds and guarantee votes. Therein lies most of the trouble. By relying on diktats from the Leader, by allowing mechanisms for intra-party democracy to erode, they have stopped debating issues. Once, in the Congress party8217;s internal conversations the narrative of India was played out. Now, in the silence at its headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the party8217;s estrangement from the voter is being enacted.