Skip to main content

Is it time to call for the Obituary of the Indian National Congress?



Is it time to call for the Obituary of the Indian National Congress?




The Indian National Congress is one of the oldest political parties in India. Although around for decades, it seems that it is bracing towards collapse as we leap on to the next decade beyond 2020.



The results of Bypolls and Assembly elections for everyone to see and understand. Faced with ruthless competition from the ruling Party, the Congress is doddering. Even in States, it has won, like Goa and Karnataka, it lost its MLAs and elected representatives who dumped the Party for greener pastures with the other Party. True, allegations of horse-trading were floated around. But as in Madhya Pradesh, there is clear evidence of Indians favoring turncoats. The BJP hardly won the mandate in Goa, Karnataka, or Madhya Pradesh, but turncoats swung the numbers. 




Questions should be raised about how majorities are being stitched. Similarly, it's interesting to probe that the Congress, one of India's principal political parties, has no sway with its members. The leadership is non-existent. Even alliance decisions, such as which Party to align with, is being taken by a handful of state leaders. For example, in Maharashtra, the local leaders decided to board the Shiv Sena bus to power. Except in smaller States like Punjab, the Party can hardly stand on its own without an alliance with a regional party. Such are the affairs of a hundred-year-old Party who once ruled India with an iron grip.




Indeed if we do a cursory look at the top leadership, the people running the Party, there is hardly a name you could classify as an election warhorse or a mass leader. Most of the leaders have lost plenty of elections, are not ranked high for their oratory skills, or are known for their administrative acumen. As the heir apparent himself, Mr. Gandhi has no administrative experience and has lost the recent election from Amethi's safe family seat. The Party's continuous downfall and the diminishing vote shares in almost every other polls should worry. 




It's true that the Indian media and even social media are heavily biased. We all read the WSJ report on how Facebook's senior employees advocated for Congress's main competitors. These kinds of situations ensure media blackout of many events and press conferences of the Congress party. The media ridicule it bears further drowns its voice. But that shouldn't mean that the Party stops trying. It has almost given up. The region where it is doing good is because of local leaders trying to protect their turf. Like in Haryana, they take their own decisions, do whatever they please, and the Party reaps the benefit of their local leaders' fight for their political survival. They are not necessarily thinking about the party ideology but their survival, and in few cases of the dynasty, they wish to erect. 



Which brings me back to the big question about the relevance of the Grand Old Party of India. Is it now defunct, giving way to so many offshoots ( the regional parties running the show in their regions) and with a large number of its members ditching it in times that are probably the worst for the Party since its inception?



Let me know your comments in the section below. Thank you for reading.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Also read

Cutting people off isn’t strength—It is a trauma response

Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is not a skill you should be proud of—It is a trauma response Cutting people off and self-isolating may feel like a protective shield, but it is often rooted in unresolved or unhealed trauma and an inability to depend on others. While these behaviors seem like self-preservation, they end up reinforcing isolation and blocking meaningful connections. Confronting these patterns, seeking therapy, and nurturing supportive relationships can help break this unhealthy cycle. Plus, a simple act like planting a jasmine plant can symbolise the start of your journey towards emotional healing. Why do we cut people off and isolate? If you’re someone who prides themselves on “cutting people off” or keeping a tight circle, you might believe it’s a skill—a way to protect yourself from betrayal, hurt, or unnecessary drama. I get it. I’ve been there, too. But here’s the thing: this ability to isolate yourself is not as empowering as it may seem. In fact, i...
1 comment
Read more

Punjab’s Stilt-Plus-four real estate rule 2025: Game changer or urban chaos? | circle rate hike explained

When the Punjab Cabinet approved the Unified Building Rules 2025, allowing stilt-plus-four floor construction across 40-ft-wide roads, it sparked both celebration and anxiety. For homeowners, it opened a new chapter of vertical prosperity. For urban planners, it may have unlocked Pandora’s box. Add to that a steep rise in circle rates up to 67% in Mohali and you have the perfect cocktail for a cityscape revolution. Is Punjab’s stilt-plus-four revolution a game changer or a warning sign for urban chaos? Punjab’s 2025 building rule reforms are rewriting its urban DNA. With stilt-plus-four floors now permitted on 250 sq yd plots and higher circle rates in force, Punjab’s real estate market is at a crossroads. Is this the dawn of new opportunities or the slow death of livable cities? The answer lies somewhere between ambition and chaos. Urban transformation often begins with good intentions and ends in gridlocks. Punjab’s new stilt-plus-four policy and simultaneous circle rate hike...
Post a Comment
Read more

Legions of Slave Women in the Mahabharata

Awakening to the Bhagavad Gita (series) - 1 For, taking refuge in Me, they also, who, O Arjuna, may be of sinful birth— women, Vaisyas as well as Sudras—attain the Supreme Goal! How much more easily then the holy Brahmins and devoted royal saints (attain the goal); having obtained this impermanent and unhappy world, do thou worship Me. The Bhagavad Gita, Chap 9, Ver 32, 33 So women are of sinful birth! As well as all kinds of workers, business men, entrepreneurs, most of the general population. The only people of virtuous births are priests — Brahmins — and royal saints, meaning saintly royals, meaning noble Kshatriyas. No wonder then that Yudhishthira — to reinstate whom this whole Mahabharata war has been fought — maintained hundreds of thousands of slave women! Take that number again: hundreds of thousands! He had so much gold, he could afford to. He had so much virtue, but he wanted more! Let's find the facts and figures from Draupadi's own wo...
15 comments
Read more