Will Congress learn the lessons of success?

Will Congress learn the lessons of success?

Himanshu Shekhar

So finally, Indian democracy’s greatest carnival is over, but not before bringing cheers to the UPA camp and surprising the opposition NDA and Left parties. May 16th has given India stability and handed Dr. Manmohan Singh a responsibility to take India out of the global meltdown and put it on the path of glory.

Congress’ revival in a state like Uttar Pradesh is undoubtedly a welcome sign for every one who thinks of India first. The party made huge gains in the Hindi heartland of UP & Bihar after decades of appalling performances. What remains to be seen is, will Congress learn the lessons of this success? Perhaps, the noises coming out from the camp don’t suggest so.

Undoubtedly, Rahul Gandhi was a hugely motivating factor in Uttar Pradesh for the Congress. His unrelenting campaigns in the interiors of the state helped him get a feel of more accurate ground realities and that struck an instant chord with people, who toil hard in their fields.

But let us ask some serious questions… Why did these voters turn their back to the Congress before and what went wrong in UP for Congress despite the state sending maximum Prime Ministers to Delhi.

Decades of Congress led government since our Independence failed to change the fortunes of the state, as it lagged behind on all radars of what you call is ‘development’. Voters were taken for granted, and Congress MPs were seen more at 10 Janpath rather than in their constituencies. Ministers were more interested in keeping the bosses happy, as warmth and comfort of Delhi lured them away from their states. I am not sure how far Congress leadership encourage this trend, but it definitely did nothing to curb it.

What happened next was the emergence of ‘Hindutva politics’, and riding high on its success, BJP emerged stronger in Uttar Pradesh. BJP’s rise and rise in UP coincided with Congress’ similar fall. The failure of Congress party to keep the focus on development and BJP’s ability to project a clean alternative to the people, helped Hindutva hardliners gain a prominent space in future politics.

Next was the emergence of parties like the Samajwadi Party, who marshalled their resources and turned out to champion the causes of Muslims, who were definitely in a mood of fear psychosis after the demolition of the Babri mosque. Late PV Narasimha Rao slept through what was happening in the state and was keener to wipe out opponents within the party and outside it. The Result, we got politicians chargesheeted in the Hawala scam. The message that spread was that it was Congress’ chargesheet rather than CBI’s.

Congress, who by then had enjoyed an unhindered support of weaker sections and Dalits, failed to do anything for them, as Kanshi Ram along with Mayawati championed their causes. While this shift was slowly occurring, Congress leadership was happy enough in exercising proxy rule through governors and were instrumental in bringing down some elected governments for short term gains.