There appears to be no end to the internal churning in the Congress. Although party insiders have been maintaining that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be elevated as party chief at a proposed All India Congress Committee session in April, doubts have now arisen about this. There are reports that Rahul Gandhi’s coronation may be delayed till the year-end in view of the divisions in the Congress. Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and a known Gandhi loyalist Ajit Jogi told Scroll.in that there are two opinions in the Congress on Rahul Gandhi’s promotion as party chief.
In a candid interview, Jogi also admitted to the possibility that several known state leaders could even leave the Congress if Rahul Gandhi takes over as party president because they harbour doubts about his capabilities to lead and revive the party. At the same time, Jogi maintained that the Congress has no option but to accept Rahul Gandhi as its future leader since the party does not have any pan-Indian leader. While agreeing that the Congress has virtually disappeared from several states, Jogi has suggested that it should join hands with parties like Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the YSR Congress just as the constituents of the erstwhile Janata Dal have come together to take on the BJP.
On Rahul Gandhi’s leadership qualities
On the possible reaction to Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Congress president
"I don’t think there will be a major exodus from the party, nor will there be a split in the Congress. But there is a possibility that some renowned leaders in the states who are do not want Rahul Gandhi to take over will leave the party. At the level of workers, it is happening even now…those who believe Rahul Gandhi cannot revive the party, have been leaving for months now. But this should not bother us... if we had any other option, it would be different."
On the Congress party’s electoral defeats
On the road map for the Congress
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In a candid interview, Jogi also admitted to the possibility that several known state leaders could even leave the Congress if Rahul Gandhi takes over as party president because they harbour doubts about his capabilities to lead and revive the party. At the same time, Jogi maintained that the Congress has no option but to accept Rahul Gandhi as its future leader since the party does not have any pan-Indian leader. While agreeing that the Congress has virtually disappeared from several states, Jogi has suggested that it should join hands with parties like Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the YSR Congress just as the constituents of the erstwhile Janata Dal have come together to take on the BJP.
On Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Congress President
"I don’t deny that the party is divided with regard to Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Congress president…there are two opinions on this issue. But it is wrong to describe this division as a generational divide or a battle between the Old Guard and the younger leaders. There are many senior, older leaders who would like Rahul Gandhi to take over as party president and, on the other hand, there are several younger leaders who have doubts about his capabilities. This difference of opinion is not confined to leaders alone but is also found among workers.
Many of them have fallen prey to the false propaganda about Rahul Gandhi, others hold this view because they have not got an opportunity to interact with him personally…perhaps there is a communication gap between him and the workers. I also admit there is a view among party workers that he is inaccessible. But those who have met him are convinced that he has it in him to take us out of this current mess. I think once Rahul Gandhi realises that his inaccessibility is an issue bothering the workers, there is no reason why he will not correct himself in this context."
On Rahul Gandhi’s leadership qualities
"Politics is all about perception. Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi has been at the receiving end of media carpet bombing against him. Our management of the media, our public relations and our relations with corporate houses…all worked against us. We just could not manage the perception war. Gone are the days when political parties could not be bothered about these factors. Today, the role of the media and the corporate sector has become extremely important. In fact, they have become the deciding factors even more than performance.
After interacting with Rahul Gandhi, I am confident that Rahul Gandhi has the necessary qualities to lead the party…. In fact, the time has come for him to take on the responsibility of handling the party. He has take over as party president one day….whether it happens now or later. We have no option but to go along with him. The Congress has no other pan-Indian leader.
Since it has to happen, it is better that he should take over as party president as early as possible."
On the possible reaction to Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Congress president
"I don’t think there will be a major exodus from the party, nor will there be a split in the Congress. But there is a possibility that some renowned leaders in the states who are do not want Rahul Gandhi to take over will leave the party. At the level of workers, it is happening even now…those who believe Rahul Gandhi cannot revive the party, have been leaving for months now. But this should not bother us... if we had any other option, it would be different."
On the Congress party’s electoral defeats
"I admit that the party is facing its worst ever crisis in its 130-year history. It has never been so bad in terms of our performance, the morale of our cadres and our support base which has crumbled. But I am hopeful that we can bounce back provided we reinvent the party to connect with a new India which is aspirational. We have to make major adjustments, take major steps to adjust to this changed environment in the country. There is no doubt that the BJP has emerged as a major political force…it has become a monolithic party that we used to be at one at one point."
On the road map for the Congress
"My suggestion to the party leadership is to restructure the party organisation, develop state-level leaders among our traditional vote banks like the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and minorities. They have been our hard core supporters but have left us over the years. That’s because we failed to develop regional satraps. There are states where we have leaders, states where we not so badly placed like the Southern states the North East, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Punjab……we can categorise these as category A states and focus on them.
For the other states we must have the right kind of alliances….if we go on our own in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, it will take us several years to recover. We cannot rely on our party structures in such states. Coalition is a compulsion for us in these states. We should have partnerships with like-minded parties.
Just as the various erstwhile Janata Dal constituents are getting together…we should do the same. Whoever thought Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav would come together again. Similarly, we should have alliances with the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and YSR Congress. After all, these parties were born out of the Congress fold. We should forget the past and come to whatever kind of arrangement we can with these parties. If today, all four of us come together, we will have a sizeable number of MPs in the Lok Sabha and will be able to make a big impact in Parliament. It is in our interest to come together if we are to face the kind of polarisation the BJP is trying to bring about. At the same time, we will have the advantage of strong regional leaders."
