Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury interview: ‘If we think regional parties will grace us to capture power, we are living in a fool’s paradise’

IE: But they argue that 23 senior leaders had written to her in August 2020. They had made some suggestions, including elections to the CWC, constitution of the Central Parliamentary Board, elected Central Election Committee etc, but nothing happened.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: All the suggestions appear to be very positive and effective. But the way it was done… it was aimed at generating some controversy. I don’t know whether they had sought appointment with Mrs Gandhi – they know it better – but my view is that before expressing or venting their views to strengthen the party or bolster our organisational infrastructure, they should have met her, placed their views and discussed with her in a threadbare manner. The controversy could have been easily averted. Mrs Gandhi allows divergent views, she never imposes any of her wishes upon workers and leaders. She is a great listener. But since then, the G-23 leaders have been functioning as a group. The question is whether it was necessary to constitute a group of 23 to strengthen the party.

IE: But nothing has really changed in the Congress since 2014. As a senior leader yourself, who has a mass base, don’t you think after two Lok Sabha election defeats and series of losses in Assembly polls, it is time for the party to explore course correction?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: These leaders are very well-experienced in the political arena, they should devise ways and means (regarding) what they are talking about, namely change, change and change.

IE: But don’t you think after a series of election defeats there is something which needs to be changed in the party?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: The fact is that this is the first time in the history of the Congress that the party is confronting a formidable political force led by Modiji and Amit Shahji along with its saffron affiliates. The Congress is a mass-based party. The Congress does not have any kind of regimentation of workers. It is a liberal democratic party. On the other hand, the Modi and Shah juggernaut along with saffron affiliates has unleashed a force that is simply ravaging established rules and procedures and institutions without even caring for ethics and democratic niceties. So, in this kind of situation, certainly our party has been facing political debacles. But it cannot be said that the onus of the political debacles is only on the leadership. It (debacles) has to be analysed and examined and a new way has to be explored. One after another the Congress party has been facing disastrous failures… which has emboldened the so-called toxic political cocktail of communalism and other forms of parochial politics. So, our maneuvering space has been shrinking.

IE: The BJP will do what it wants to do. What has the Congress done in the last eight years to face the challenge which you are describing?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: As I said, this is the first time we are facing this kind of a political plus electoral juggernaut. Over decades, certainly we have lost something because, in the earlier era, the regional satraps of the Congress… they were competent to guard their own citadel. But regional satraps of the Congress are being replaced by regional parties. There lies the crux of the problem. On the one hand the Congress party’s electoral misfortune, the BJP’s Modi-Shah-led electoral juggernaut and on the other, emergence of regional parties.

IE: So what is the leadership doing to address these issues?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: Those who are arguing for change, have they prepared any action plan? Only criticising our leadership… Lets put our heads together to face this once in a lifetime challenge.

IE: Shouldn’t the leadership come out with a concrete plan or a roadmap to take on the challenge?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: The leadership has always been exploring ways and means of a roadmap. That is why CWC meetings are held at regular intervals, interactions are on, research is on. Merely criticising the leadership is not a solution. That adds more fuel to the fire against us being stoked by the BJP and other regional parties. The BJP is hell bent on dismantling the Congress. It is their professed ambition because they think the Congress is their ideological adversary or enemy. So, they want to see the demolition of the Congress. They do not care about the emergence of regional parties because it will be more convenient for them to challenge the emergence of regional parties than a strengthened Congress. They want to see the demise of the Congress and emergence of regional parties. So, in this situation, if we continue to lambast the leadership… at the end of the day, the tone and tenor of the BJP is similar to the tone and tenor of certain political stalwarts of the Congress.

IE: So what should the party do now?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: At the CWC meeting, Madam Gandhi agreed to have a chintan shivir. When the Congress is in crisis… traditionally the party used to hold such shivirs, be it Pachmarhi, Shimla, and engage in intensive discussions to revive and survive. This is not the first time. When each and every avenue is available before us, why should we clamour before the media? At the last CWC, Madam herself pleaded for free and frank discussions. She said if the leadership feels that Gandhi family should be replaced… we are ready to accept it.

IE: My question still is what should the Congress do now?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: First of all, all the Congress leaders across the nation should sit together and have a threadbare discussion because political dimensions are changing fast. Now regional parties are trying to carve out their own niche at the cost of the Congress. So, we need to assert and exert ourselves in a manner that at least we can put forward a strong bargaining power. Without acquiring a bargaining power worth its name, we cannot even discuss with the regional parties which are supposedly opposing the predominance of the BJP. Before doing anything else, we need to obtain the bargaining power, and to that end we have to assert ourselves with whatever strength remains at our disposal. We need to nurture and assert ourselves. Assertion should be the mantra of the Congress party now.

IE: Do you think the Congress should reach out to all the regional parties opposed to the BJP… for a national-level alliance?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: I am reiterating. Yes, it is true, we need to have an electoral alliance with regional parties as a strategy. But the fact is, if we do not have the bargaining power at our disposal, who will accept our share, our demands?

IE: You need to win elections to get that bargaining power

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: Each and every party has its own rise and fall in its destiny. Vicissitude is the norm of any political party. Wasn’t the Congress able to win elections in 2018 under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi? Then? We have to regain our fortunes. That is why we have to labour a lot. We have to assert ourselves with whatever strength we have at our disposal. Because if we fail to achieve bargaining power, even regional parties won’t care for the Congress. Bargaining power has to be achieved by strengthening the organisation. When our organisation is strengthened, it will fetch more seats for our party, and if we are able to fetch more seats… it will culminate into an election-winning machinery. So the basic need is organisation, which will enable us to bargain hard. If we can successfully bargain with the regional parties, it will certainly give some benefit to us. If we think that regional parties will grace us to capture power, I think we will be living in a fool’s paradise. Not by grace but by strength.