The grand old party that Congress has always been somehow now appears to be poised to open a new chapter in its politics. This is what the four-page letter written and released by the party president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday evening targeting the party’s workers and well wishers has come to indicate. Yet, the question is about the precise nature of the task before the party. And it is obviously to make a break from its past and become a party of future.

 

This is important since Congress has mostly been trapped in its glorious history, emanating from its stellar role in the freedom movement and also through the decades thereafter when its leaders could rebuild the badly ravaged country due to centuries of colonial rule.

 

The tone and tenor of Rahul’s letter brings indications of his intention to clear party stables at its Central and State headquarters and set out the party leaders and hangers-on so that they face the public. This is a stupendous task given the years, nay decades, of inertia, complacency and easy ways that have come to beset the ranks of the party.

 

Through his letter Rahul points to the need of warhorses to put a fight to reclaim and redeem the country from the new and divisive course it is being set on rather than the top-heavy structure that Congress has been becoming in recent years.

 

Thus, Rahul talks of need for “radical transformation” of the party to resurrect institutions that, according to him, are coming under the influence of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He tries to present an alternative view of politics away from that of the RSS.

 

Thus, he says in his letter, “Congress Party must radically transform itself. Today the BJP is systematically crushing the voice of the Indian people. It is the duty of the Congress Party to defend these voices. India has never and will never be one voice. It is and always will be a symphony of voices. That is the true essence of Bharat Mata.”

 

Remarkable words though these are the battle cry that Rahul is trying to sound somehow takes the focus more towards society rather than to keep it on politics. And this is going to be no easy route to power since it has to go through the process of reforms for which the Congress does not seem to have a programme at least right now.

 

Rahul talks more about renunciation to put the party and its cadre in a selfless service mode than its ranks usual desire for power and influence. He says, “It is a habit in India that the powerful cling to power, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle.”

 

Thus, the task that Rahul has marked for Congresspersons looks to be a tall order given their habitual reluctance to put themselves to hard work and their overdependence on party’s top leadership. This is how Rahul also justifies his decision to relinquish the highest post of the party. So post-Rahul Congress ranks will have to confront and grapple with reality, if they want to remain with the party. This is so despite the fact that the bulk of Congressmen have been insisting upon Rahul to relent and continue in his present position and thereby keep their zones of cool comfort unscathed.

(By Abid Shah)