By Prof. Vivek Singh
The Congress, 135 year-old- party is struggling to save its existence needs non-cooperation. Congress has a future only in non-cooperation. After the letter bomb discord of Congress has become known. No one in the party is willing to listen. Some congress leaders want to change president but to whom they want to make party president, is not ready to become the president. Congress leaders are creating problems before the party. Congress leaders who oppose Congress in the morning become supporters again by the evening, Strange situation.
According to senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad Congress will have to remain in opposition for the next 50 years if there is no internal election for the post of Congress president as well as for various other posts of the party. internaI election is the only solution to revive the party and establish internal democracy in the party.
Recently, a letter from 23 top Congress leaders had created problematic situation in the party. Letter was signed by Congress stalwarts like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, Mukul Wasnik, Kapil Sibal, Veerappa Moily, Shashi Tharoor , Milind Deora, Jitin Prasad, Sandeep Dixit and Manish Tewari. They wrote a letter to their own party demanding election of full-time Congress president and organizational change. Congress Working Committee met on 24 August 2020. Rahul Gandhi questioned the timing of the letter. Some party leaders were also being accused to have connection with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
There are mainly 4 groups visible in congress. One group wants Sonia Gandhi to continue as interim president. The second group wants to see Rahul Gandhi as Congress President. The third group wants to appoint a senior Congress leader other than Gandhi family to the post of Congress President.The fourth group favors organizational change and election of the Congress President.
In 1946, President of congress was Jawaharlal Nehru. J.B. Kripalani was made Congress President in 1947 as Jawaharlal Nehru had become Prime Minister. Since 1998, Congress is having presidents from Gandhi family. Sitaram Kesari and P. V. Narasimha Rao were appointed Congress presidents in 1996 and 1991 respectively. We all know what happened to both of them. Apart from the Gandhi family, whoever became Congress president did not hold the post of Congress president for long.
Sonia Gandhi will remain the interim president for 6 months. Corona vaccine may be available to everyone within 6 months but it is difficult to find a new Congress president within 6 months. Now Congress will have to see whether it gets full time president or not? will get its president by mutual consent or by election? Will president be from the Gandhi family or someone from outside? Today non-cooperation of congress leaders is like cooperation for the Congress. Non-cooperation in exposing the the party, non-cooperation of one leader to speak against another leader, non-cooperation in making public the state of estrangement, non-cooperation in involving anti party activities, non-cooperation in hindering good decisions of the party, non-cooperation in spoiling the image of the party , Non-cooperation in making political pressure.. will be the true support by the Congress leaders.
(The author is columnist, professor of Commerce, Political and Economic Analyst. He can be reached at [email protected])