Top policy formulators of the Congress party met in Belagavi, Karnataka, on December 26 and devised a plan for the Grand Old Party. The leaders' collective assembly decided to launch a campaign to protect the Constitution and strengthen the organisation.
The choice of the venue was symbolic, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the location where Mahatma Gandhi assumed the presidency of the Indian National Congress at its 39th session. The retracing of steps was an attempt to rediscover the party's roots and draw inspiration in dealing with current challenges emanating from the governing coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Building on the momentum from their campaign during the general elections, the leaders emphasised that the Indian Constitution is facing a grave threat from the ruling coalition and its lead party is eroding the social welfare and inclusive principles enshrined in the document by its architect, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Having assumed the role of the principal opposition party in Parliament with renewed vigour, the Congress is moving forward with a plan to retain the space it gained in the recent Lok Sabha polls. It has drawn up a list of issues on which it aims to build public opinion.
Under the major thrust of highlighting the attack on the Constitution and disrespect for Dr Ambedkar, the issues identified political, economic, and foreign affairs. These include caste census, opposition to the One-Nation-One-Election plan and amendments to the Election Commission rules, rekindling the debate to revisit the Temples of Worship Act of 1991, the denial of political space to the opposition, the dilution of financial support for MNREGA, inadequate MSP for farmers, the promotion of oligarchies, demands for clarity on relations with China, and recent attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
These highlighted issues are certainly ones any opposition would take up to demand a cogent response from the government. It is also the inherent right of the opposition to carry out campaigns and stage protests when the situation warrants. These elements are integral to parliamentary democracy, whose adage states that it is the job of the opposition to oppose, expose, and, if possible, depose the government.
However, the party resolution at the conclusion made no mention of whether the setbacks in the assembly elections over the past two months were discussed at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee. For the past 10 years, honest introspection has been notably absent.
The Congress party has lost three consecutive general elections since 2014. It managed to salvage some prestige this summer by reaching the 99 mark in the Lok Sabha. This achievement restored the Congress's status as a leader in the lower house. However, in the last five years, the party has lost several state assembly elections. Worse still, it lost in states where pre-poll surveys and projections had predicted a comeback. Haryana is a case in point.
Any party, especially the Congress, should analyse, clinically and dispassionately, why the people of India have not been convinced by the narrative it has been setting. For example, after the setback in the Maharashtra elections, political analysts argued that focusing on issues like the caste census and threats to the Constitution did not gain traction—five months after they had contributed to the party's success in the Lok Sabha polls.
On the other hand, Congress political managers at various levels have raised questions about the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the accuracy of electoral rolls, and the reported increase in voter turnout as reported by the Election Commission. Each of these points has been rejected by the poll body.
Now, the party's resolution emphasises similar issues, including the Constitution and the Reservation policy, along with the caste census. However, there is no indication that the party has conducted empirical studies to assess whether these issues resonate with the most marginalised sections of society.
To be fair, after setbacks in 1996, 1998, and 2014, the Congress did set up a committee under A.K. Antony. One of the factors identified was that economic reforms had caused a distancing of people from the Congress. In the previous century, this led to the conclusion that, while economic reforms were necessary, they needed to have a human face. While in opposition, the Congress continued the practice of serious introspective conclaves.
Course corrections followed when Dr Manmohan Singh assumed office, and the party recast welfare measures as rights-based schemes, such as MNREGA and the National Food Security Act. The post-2014 introspection concluded that the Congress was perceived as favouring minorities. The perception persists, while policy prescriptions to counter it are nowhere to be seen. The Congress needs to go back to the drawing board.
(K.V. Prasad is a senior Delhi-based journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
