Rahul Gandhi’s Leadership: Final Days of Congress?
Rahul Gandhi’s Leadership : While I am not predicting that the Congress party will end tomorrow, the manner in which the party is behaving and conducting itself suggests that it is further heading towards significant and eventually complete destruction. It may remain active in 7 or 8 states but the decay is now becoming irreversible.
What is the main issue of the Congress party?
While Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and organisational issues have been pointed out, the main issue of the Congress party is a lack of ‘seva’ culture. Bottoms up, a majority of the workers and leaders are incapable of putting the citizen over self. Which is why one watches the massive defections in Telangana, constant threat of defections in Karnataka and the defections in Maharashtra/Gujarat. I agree, it is unfair to tarnish every worker and hence please consider this as a broad brush rather than a commentary on every leader and worker.
The lack of seva mindset
When selfishness is more than seva, the only quest that remains is that of power and being around it. Seva involves coming up with ideas and solutions. It comes with expecting no reward, it comes with sacrifice and may be even hardship. Most if not all Congress workers and leaders have not demonstrated this desire for seva. The Congress party has survived long after the seva culture disappeared (perhaps in the 1960s) because of lack of credible opposition and their own machinations. But now with a formidable opposition, this lack of an ‘idealistic’ culture is exposing the party in every election. Since Karnataka 2013, the party has won just 3 elections in direct fight with the BJP. (more through alliances or against alliances). It is unlikely this record will change in the next 3 months.
Read: Advantage BJP after SP-BSP split in UP
Really, is it the end?
A substantial change in mindset where the voter is the centre of your life and not power can save the Congress. As long as power rules their choices, Congress party and Congressmen/Congress women who have shifted to other parties will also realise that they will never reach the levels they earnestly desire. The environment is changing, no choice but to change quickly.
Title : Rahul Gandhi’s Leadership: Final Days of Congress?