In firefighting mode, Congress awaits revamp

Sonia’s choice of crisis managers is interesting. Moily and Wasnik were reportedly signatories to the G-23 missive. Sonia seems to have not only junked Soni’s retirement plan but requisitioned her to tame the dissidents. Antony has authored numerous reports on revamping the organisation. Soni, Antony and Wasnik were part of a panel that was formed when a group of 23 leaders had written a letter critical of the central leadership.

STALEMATE: Leadership crisis is perceived to be hurting the Congress the most. PTI

Rasheed Kidwai

Senior Journalist and Author

THE longest-serving president in the history of the 136-year-old Congress, Sonia Gandhi has requisitioned the services of the old guard — Ambika Soni, Digvijaya Singh, Veerappa Moily, AK Antony, Mukul Wasnik and a few others. Digvijaya has been asked to lead a panel to organise country-wide agitations against the Narendra Modi government, Moily is heading the AICC panel on the vexed issue of the caste-based census.

Soni, Antony and Wasnik were part of a six-member panel that was formed in August 2020 when a group of 23 leaders had written a letter critical of the central leadership. The G-23 had asked for internal elections and organisational overhaul.

The panel, originally comprising Ahmed Patel, Soni, Antony, Wasnik, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala had met many party leaders. Sonia had subsequently reconstituted the Congress Working Committee (accommodating some G-23 dissidents in the apex body) and met the G-23 leaders at her residence in December 2020. While Patel died in November 2020, the remaining members of the panel had reportedly briefed Sonia that the G-23 had agreed to discontinue its activities. Clearly, this has not been the case as the dissident leaders have upped the ante, demanding sweeping reforms in the party.

Sonia’s choice of crisis managers is interesting. Both Moily and Wasnik were reportedly signatories to the G-23 missive. Soni had reportedly written an email to Sonia in August 2019, expressing her wish to retire from active politics. Sonia seems to have not only junked Soni’s retirement plan but requisitioned her to tame the dissidents. Antony is a widely respected figure in the Congress parivar, having authored numerous reports on revamping the Congress organisation.

Soni and Antony are tight-lipped about the contents of a report they have routed through Venugopal, who is the AICC general secretary in charge of the organisation. Significantly, Soni and Antony have given inputs on the induction of ace poll strategist Prashant Kishor on the basis of their interaction with the party leaders. The Congress seems eager to embrace Kishor, but wants Sonia to clearly spell out his role and position in the AICC secretariat.

In this scheme of things, a major organisational overhaul should be the top priority, followed by institutionalisation of the ticket distribution system, poll alliances, fund-raising etc. instead of Kishor’s designation or its nomenclature. Clearly, there seems to be a bit of a logjam or difference in perception on Kishor’s imminent induction.

There is a view that both sides should deliberate more on this issue. If this school of thought gains momentum, Kishor may join the Congress after the verdict of the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, i.e. early next year.

A recent poll survey conducted by CVoter has presented a dismal picture of the Congress in all election-bound states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The survey findings are in sharp contrast to the Congress’ internal assessment that predicted a victory in Punjab and Uttarakhand and a fighting chance in Manipur. What is more disturbing for the Congress is the CVoter-ABP News finding that the voters’ perception of infighting in the poll-bound state of Punjab and the leadership crisis at the top (Rahul Gandhi’s apparent reluctance to return as president of the AICC) is hurting the party the most.

Punjab’s battle of one-upmanship between PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is beginning to affect the Congress’ prospects in Uttarakhand too. The Congress’informal chief ministerial candidate Harish Rawat is looking after the party’s affairs in Punjab. His preoccupation with Punjab is leaving little time and energy for the 73-year-old Rawat for his home state of Uttarakhand. Moreover, the Sidhu and Amarinder camps seem dissatisfied with Rawat, weakening his stature in Uttarakhand. Rawat has been pleading with the Gandhi trio — Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka — to relieve him of the Punjab assignment, but the Gandhis are unable to find a successor.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh is making a comeback of sorts, tasked to plan nationwide protests and stirs. Digvijaya or Diggy Raja, as he is popularly called, was the AICC general secretary till 2017 when he was removed. Party insiders said his future role is going to be that of a ‘peace-maker’ on the lines of Mallikarjun Kharge and Kamal Nath. At an informal level, Nath is trying to broker peace between Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and state minister TS Singhdeo, who is staking a claim to the CM’s chair, claiming that there was an agreement to share the office on a ‘rotational basis’ for two-and-a- half years each. The Congress government had come to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2018.

There appears to be a clear pattern in the Congress happenings. On the one hand, the old guard is firefighting; on the other, the G-23, consisting mostly of another section of the old guard, is stoking dissent. Rahul and his team don’t seem to be in the thick of things, except for institutional posts occupied by Venugopal and Surjewala.