The Indian National Congress is evolving into a case study on how an enterprise built over the years can be ruined if the reins are given in incompetent hands. Not that anyone’s complaining. But now even ‘zero loss‘ Kapil Sibal has spoken up and again called for reforms within party which means it is no longer ‘zero loss’ for Congress.
Past ten days we saw how the Gandhi siblings, in their attempt to get Punjab Congress leaders, ex-CM Captain Amarinder Singh and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, resolve their differences, ended up pushing the election-bound border state into a major crisis.
As a wise man once said, aap chronology samajhiye:
18th September, 2021: Captain Amarinder Singh resigns as Punjab CM. He says he has never felt more humiliated.
Speculations are rife on who would be the new CM. Capt Singh categorically says Sidhu cannot be the CM of a border state, especially because of his close friendship with none other than Pakistan Army chief General Bajwa.
20th September, 2021: Charanjit Singh Channi is made Punjab CM. Suddenly it was all about Congress’ masterstroke on getting a ‘Dalit’ Chief Minister. Do note, usually ‘liberals’ would rise above and beyond the caste politics, but not when it is Congress.
Same day, the Gandhis go to Shimla for a vacation.
As the saying goes, ‘aag lage basti mein, main apni masti mein‘.
Sidhu takes chartered flights, goes to Gurudwaras and does all the thang with the new Punjab CM in tow. Everything seems like one big happy family.
28th September, 2021: 10 days after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Punjab CM, Sidhu resigns as party chief. This when Capt Singh was on his way to Delhi amid speculations he might meet BJP leaders. Along with Sidhu, many Punjab Congress leaders also ‘resign’ in solidarity with him.
Same day, the Gandhis conclude their Shimla vacation and return to Delhi.
In ten days, Punjab went from a stable government to ‘we have no clue what is happening’ government.
As this report is being published, Capt Amarinder Singh has just reached Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence to meet him.
Punjab not the only mess, unfortunately for Congress
Recently, a very seasoned Congress leader Sushmita Dev quit the party and joined Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. Former Goa Chief Minister and another senior Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro too joined the TMC today. Even Rahul Gandhi fan Saket Gokhale ended up joining the TMC formally instead of Congress. No one really wants to be associated with a sinking ship. Except some whom perhaps even TMC won’t take.
Gujarat’s MLA Jignesh Mewani joined Congress, but only ‘in principle’ because if he officially joins the political party he ceases to be an ‘Independent MLA’ and well, he still has one more year left in his 5 year term. Another person to join the Congress yesterday was Kanhaiya Kumar from the CPI(M). Soon Congress will end up being more left than even the left parties and only person with any semblance of sanity might be the Congress mouthpiece journalist and Rahul Gandhi fan Sanjukta Basu. Because even when Congress’ future appears darker than my sense of humour sometimes, Basu is still of the belief the Punjab crisis might be part of a bigger plan.
Media saying, “Cong party caught by surprise”. How do you know? Stop saying things that cannot be proved or disproved. Just report “Sidhu resigned.” Don’t report on Cong’s “feelings” happy or surprised. Maybe the Gandhis knew, maybe it’s all as per plans.
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) September 28, 2021
Maybe it’s all planned.
Ship of Theseus
This makes one wonder, if all the Congress leaders leave the party and form other parties, like how Sharad Pawar made Nationalist Congress Party and Mamata Banerjee made Trinamool Congress, does the original Congress still remain ‘Congress’? And does that mean other parties which are created out of former Congress leaders, do they end up being Congress themselves? And then if for some reason, all these former Congress leaders merge with Congress, will it still remain Congress or turn into NCP/TMC?
What next for Congress?
One never knows. But the G-23, the old guard of Congress has again appealed for change in leadership. Their soft-nudge to get The Gandhis to think beyond self and find a more competent party president. But the young’uns are still rooting for Rahul Gandhi and every few weeks pass resolutions to get him to become party president immediately. Of course he is best thing ever to hit the party since Indira Gandhi’s faction Congress (I), created in 1978, was declared rightful heir to the original party that was created in 1885.
But as things stand now, all we can do is grab our popcorns and see how Congress fast-tracks its way into oblivion.
