WHEN the central leadership in the Congress party is walking a path full of illusions about its electoral influence, seniors in the Grand Old Party are again seeking an overhaul of the intra-party system to strengthen it and restore its old glory. The road these reforms-seeking leaders have taken to drill in reality, though, is full of obstacles as it directly hurts the ego of the central leadership and the coterie surrounding them. In all likelihood, the pragmatic view expressed by senior leader Mr. Digvijay Singh praising the organisation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seeking similar organisational strength will not go down well with the top hierarchy. Mr. Singh might have to pay for his outspoken view which has been promptly backed by another veteran Mr. Shashi Tharoor. As the duo called for greater discipline and cohesion to achieve organisational strength, many leaders close to the Gandhi family have predictably trained their guns on Mr. Singh and Mr. Tharoor without even giving a thought to their logical statements.

 

What Mr. Singh was trying to communicate by sharing an old picture of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi with BJP veteran Mr. Lal Krishna Advani was the strength of the organisation where a grassroot worker can also become a Chief Minister or PM. Instead of looking at the picture as a good example of how their political rival strengthens its organisation, some Congress leaders took offence and triggered a political controversy. This has remained a problem with the Congress party, especially under Ms. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The central leadership is totally averse to any new idea which can give a fillip to the party’s dwindling electoral fortunes across the country. Mr. Singh’s view have found backing from a sane voice in Mr. Tharoor.

 

The veteran leader has called for discipline in the Congress and demanded that the party be strengthened to regain its lost political ground. Mr. Tharoor’s views are bound to add fuel to the fire as he is always on target of the old guard close to the Gandhis for his free and frank views. On most occasions, Mr. Tharoor’s views run contrary to the Congress stand causing friction among the workers and leaders. The former diplomat is already seen as a regular who does not mind kowtowing with the BJP and Mr. Modi. His inclusion in the delegations visiting various countries after India’s Operation Sindoor had ruffled many feathers within the Congress. Since then, Mr. Tharoor has been sidelined by the top leadership sitting in Delhi. What the Congress top-rung fails to understand is, this is not a time to be rigid. Despite doing reasonably well in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, Congress has never been able to carry forward the momentum in the following Assembly elections in important States. Prime reason behind this continuous fall is again factionalism in various State units. Almost every State unit of the party is affected by groupism while Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Ms. Priyanka Vadra and Ms. Sonia Gandhi have refused to accept this reality.

 

It has led to systematic corrosion in local units as the grassroot cadre is totally disillusioned about their future. In sharp contrast is the BJP which remains in action mode with or without elections. This basic difference has helped the BJP to keep winning elections in hitherto Congress bastions across India’s political landscape. Instead of sulking over references to the BJP and the RSS, the Congress needs to take a closer look at its organisational structure not as a compulsion but as a case study. Organisations keep evolving by picking the best of prevailing practices in contemporary institutions. Calls for strengthening the organisation and sending a positive message of growth in the grassroot cadre cannot be brushed away as a voice of rebellion. Instead, this is the right time for the Congress to show its inclusive approach to start afresh in the new year.