Waiting for a leader

It is too early to say whether there will really be an election for the presidentship of the Congress. Though there are four candidates for...

It is too early to say whether there will really be an election for the presidentship of the Congress. Though there are four candidates for the highest party post, there is no certainty that they are prepared to fight it out. Among them, A.R. Antulay has announced that he would withdraw in favour of Sharad Pawar. Logically, it should be a three-cornered contest among Sitaram Kesri, Rajesh Pilot and Pawar.

But in the Congress things do not happen in this simple, logical manner. Had that been the case, Pawar would not have allowed Narasimha Rao to become leader of the Congress parliamentary party and thereby Prime Minister without a fight. Similarly, despite all his bravado, Rajesh Pilot merely acquiesced in the unanimous election of Sitaram Kesri to the post vacated by Rao.

And when Kesri sprang a surprise on Pawar by announcing withdrawal of the party8217;s support to the Deve Gowda Ministry without consulting him, he just toed the official line. All this is because inner party democracy has become a thing of the past for the Congress.

The long tenure of leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had driven out the concept of dissent from the Congress. As a result, anybody who happens to be the party8217;s leader is almost unassailable. There was no other reason for Rao to enjoy undisputed power when he was at the helm in the Congress.

What all this implies is that Kesri is all set for a walkover. The metamorphosis in his position is manifest in the manner in which his supporters won the election in his home State of Bihar.

The very fact that Jagannath Mishra, who is himself a pastmaster in manipulative politics, has been crying himself hoarse over the electoral malpractices employed by Kesri8217;s followers is a pointer to the leaps the Congress chief has made in consolidating his position.

For a person who never had any solid political base, this is simply mind-boggling. Kesri may have crossed the age of superannuation a long time ago and he may never have won an election for his party, yet he is almost unchallengeable. Kesri has only his position to thank for.

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Pawar knows his limitations despite the advantages that accrue to him because of his age. It is not at all surprising that the former Maharashtra Chief Minister has expressed his readiness to withdraw from the contest if Sonia Gandhi agrees to be a candidate.

Though such a possibility is quite remote, who knows it could be an excuse for him to withdraw once he has tested the waters. Whether Pawar stays in the race till the end or not, the prospect of an election cannot but enthuse the average Congressman.

However, much will depend upon how the contenders unfold their strategy to rejuvenate the party. Even if they have a strategy, they have so far kept it to themselves. It is true that factionalism has resurfaced in many of the State units. This is nothing to be worried about as it is an evidence of dissent and democracy. In fact, a keenly contested poll can reinvolve the ordinary Congressman in the running of the party.

This will be no mean achievement for a party which has for a long time stopped taking into account the ordinary member8217;s view point.