The Big Story: Losing track

In a matter of few hours on Wednesday, the Congress party was further enfeebled by developments that unfolded at break-neck speed in Bihar. For the third time in recent months, the Bharatiya Janata Party, through its superior political management skills, gained power in a state in which it had failed to win the election. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday evening dumped his grand alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress. On Thursday, he was sworn in again with BJP’s support.

In March, the Congress was left red-faced when the BJP, with fewer seats in elections in Manipur and Goa, moved in swiftly to find partners and form the state governments. In Goa, the Congress cut a sorry figure as its senior leader Digvijaya Singh, the general secretary in charge, was outpaced and outsmarted by BJP rivals. In Manipur, the Congress won 28 seats to the BJP’s 21. But despite the large difference of seven legislators in a small 60-member Assembly, the BJP managed to find allies to bridge the gap.

The reactions of Congress leaders to Nitish Kumar’s exit betrayed their complete lack of planning. Party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he had got a sense of Kumar’s plans three months ago. But despite having prior knowledge of Kumar’s designs, it isn’t clear whether the Congress did anything about them. The Bihar chief minister was scathing about Gandhi’s party on Wednesday, accusing the Congress of failing to take a bold stand to save the alliance in the face of corruption allegations against leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Nitish Kumar’s decision to jump ship is yet another indication of the Congress party’s fast-eroding credibility. A feeling has now set in that Rahul Gandhi and his team are no position to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, thanks to their uninspiring performance both inside and outside the Parliament. Despite a series of unwise moves from the BJP government, including demonetisation, the Congress looks rudderless and incapable of taking advantage of the ruling party’s mistakes. Adding to its woes have been a series of defections. Last week, the party’s tallest leader in Gujarat, Shankersinh Vaghela, announced his decision to leave the Congress, just months ahead of the crucial Assembly elections. On Thursday, three more legislators left the party to join hands with the BJP.

The BJP now controls all of North India, barring Punjab. The southern state of Karnataka is an oasis in the desert for the Congress, increasing the pressure on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to win the state again at all cost in 2018. However, it is clear that this pressure has been created not by his party’s opponents but by the failures of Congress’ own leadership.

The Big Scroll

  • In this interview to Anita Katyal, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan admitted that his party does not have a leader of the stature of Narendra Modi. 

Punditry

  1. In the Indian Express, Pratap Bhanu Mehta says after Nitish Kumar’s exit, the Opposition needs an entirely new strategy to counter the BJP. 
  2. Ayesha Siddiqa in The Hindu writes on how the Panama papers scandal has eroded the leadership of Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan. 
  3. Rajesh Aggarwal in the BusinessLine says there is an urgent need to tackle the problem of poor soil conditions across India. 

Giggles

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