In short, the Congress strategy is to divide and weaken Hindus along caste lines, and strengthen Muslims and Christians. This is why Congress must be wiped out and purged; and the top leadership of Congress deserves assasination.
My father had been a Congress party worker for over sixty years and my whole family voted for Congress over the years. But during the second term of Manmohan Singh the Congress party was under drift. Individual leaders sensed that the party may not retain power. So they started looking after themselves and their progeny. Party cadre was left to fend for themselves and old leaders never allowed others to come up in the party. That trend is still going on. Unless someone does some radical decisions about bringing up new leaders there is little hope. But this party has the potential to come back and knows how to rule the nation.
The Congress should stand by, speak up for its core constituency, led by the Muslims. Not feel diffident, or suggest, Where else can you go. 2. It should accept that the reforms of 1991 were a success, need to be built upon. 3. Have read so much of what you write, Sonaliji, it is only fair that I place some of my thoughts as part of your essay.
I voted for Congress over the years, the party of my choice. But I stopped only and only because of corruption in Congress (as alluded by Pranajoy). Look, I don't care about the complex caste composition, religious beliefs, etc etc. But I will not vote for Congress again because I believe it's a corrupt party to the core. Full Stop.
This analysis misses one fact - at the state level BJP is the Shudra OBC party of choice. The reason is the Mandal politics. Mandal politics and OBC assertion created a government contractor builder land owner OBC moneyed class who are directly in hedonistic economic competition with OBC pasmanda Muslims financially and politically empowered by the same mandal revolution. It is the resource competition between these groups that the BJP used to bring the OBCs under the party's fold. Moreover these OBCs have quickly brahminised or kshatriyaised accepted vegetarianism and are loyal to the Hindutva cause. The best example is West Bengal where the bellicose and malicious Dilip Ghosh is the first non-Bhadralok political party leader in 100 years. Similarly in Bengal the BJP has won over the Hindu dalit migrants from East Bengal who are under direct political and economic competition with Bengali muslims imported from Bangladesh by the CPM as the life insurance of the communist party. Congress is stuck with a distinctly upper caste liberal clique who have no political base. The OBC shudras who have amassed under the BJP are not going anywhere. They are at the fore front of Hindutva activism. Pehlu Khan's (a pasmanda Muslim) lynchers were Yadavs - 30 years back these people were allies. But not anymore. While keeping the national politics and the RSS itself under the control of upper castes or Dvijas the BJP has groomed and empowered an OBC leadership at the state level that the elite have ceded power to. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu this is not relevant because the unlike the Bengal CPM, the Kerala CPM was converted into an OBC led party by Achuthanandan. Vijayan is Achuthanandan's ideological son. Tamil Dravidian politics was always about OBC power and OBC assertion. There is simply no future for the Congress. As a non-BJP altenative people may still vote for it in some states. But eventually Congress will be replaced by the AAP north of the Vindhyas. AAP is essentially a Hindu nationalist party with an appeal to the poor and neo middle class Hindus with development and ethical politics - there is market for it - ethical Hindutva without the hate. The future of the north Indian politics is hate-based Hindutva vs AAP's Hindutva.
Being too long in power the party lost connection with the base. Many OBC leaders in Maharashtra who could not get space went to the Shivsena and then NCP.
The middle rung which consisted of mostly OBC leaders has shifted to the BJP. It is these people who have to be wooed back. The Dalits too are disillusioned with Mayawati and can be co-opted if the leadership is sincere
I still believe that at the core philosophy of Congress is Gender equality and a modern India. Irrespective of the social compartments, there is a common thread which still remains the Congress constituency - Women and all men with a progressive outlook. Congress can revive by strengthening its base in the said
Economic reality is like nature. You must eat 3 times, send kids to school, earn a living, that these things don’t change with seasons, fashions, or times. They have a wonderful way of bringing people down to earth, and these things prevail in the long run./ Why not think on the line,Modi is just a fall guy,he is simply pulling their chestnuts,had they wished, the duo would be in Jail for the rest of their lives but Congress needed few Ultracrepedarians,their choice should be appreciated.
Good analysis and fault finding, but this is just the first step. Something needs to be done urgently, who will strategise that, who will act on that, are the most important questions. The Congress, in the present form, is neither inclined to act nor seems to be capable of doing anything great. PK is a hope but he needs a team to follow up his plans. The top leaders appear to be too isolated and the second rung too demoralised to dream and achieve anything big.
when some one or something is losing, the whole world jumps in to give advice which is fair enough. But, the issue is, the world is not on the battle field like the congress is. so the world does not know the actual ground realities of that battle.so, i believe it is best left to the guy who is fighting the battle to devise the strategies and do and donts to win or survive in that battle for he is the only and only one who knows what is the real ground realities of the battle that is being fought. as they say, 'you know your body better than anyone'. having said all that, it alright for commentators to comment as it is their job to do so.
Dear Sonali Ranade (which is probably not your real name), this is Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. Whereas I agree with almost everything you have written, your analysis of the INC focusses excessively on caste politics (not that it is unimportant) and less on India's GOP failing to forge coalitions with smaller parties (because of the arrogance of its leaders) after 1989, including the parties that broke away from the INC, and, very importantly, the corruption in it midst – these are also factors that explain the mess the party is in at present. Finally a plug: Shankar Raghuraman and I wrote a book "Divided We Stand: India in a Time of Coalitions," the revised edition of which was published in 2007. Although much has happened in the last 24 years, our analysis of the decline of the Congress is still relevant (even though I say so). If you want to buy a signed copy write to me at paranjoy@gmail.com. Here's the link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Divided-We-Stand-India-Coalitions/dp/0761936637/ref=pd_sbs_2/262-5933184-2716514?pd_rd_w=FKVbh&pf_rd_p=950901b9-b71e-4c33-9fc5-41ec6db58ad1&pf_rd_r=W4QX4Q74BJH0K0ZRBF8R&pd_rd_r=5d02bbc7-200a-4b31-9493-8eff5c5d0315&pd_rd_wg=7iIyY&pd_rd_i=0761936637&psc=1
A good attempt to understand Congress which in turn is to understand political dynamics of the country. I guess Congress can rebuild itself on the core constituency of Muslims at Pan-Indian level and floating constituencies of several groups and castes in different states. Congress has a huge advantage of being identified against any group. It must try to work it to its advantage.
This erudite essay with the openness of What ails the Congress shimmers with various artifacts about the rejuvenation of the congress party in critical, impressive surgical precision and meticulousness. It's time for Congress to introspect intrinsically vested interest squelched in pure self-interest. Profound and brilliant.
In short, the Congress strategy is to divide and weaken Hindus along caste lines, and strengthen Muslims and Christians. This is why Congress must be wiped out and purged; and the top leadership of Congress deserves assasination.
My father had been a Congress party worker for over sixty years and my whole family voted for Congress over the years. But during the second term of Manmohan Singh the Congress party was under drift. Individual leaders sensed that the party may not retain power. So they started looking after themselves and their progeny. Party cadre was left to fend for themselves and old leaders never allowed others to come up in the party. That trend is still going on. Unless someone does some radical decisions about bringing up new leaders there is little hope. But this party has the potential to come back and knows how to rule the nation.
The Congress should stand by, speak up for its core constituency, led by the Muslims. Not feel diffident, or suggest, Where else can you go. 2. It should accept that the reforms of 1991 were a success, need to be built upon. 3. Have read so much of what you write, Sonaliji, it is only fair that I place some of my thoughts as part of your essay.
I voted for Congress over the years, the party of my choice. But I stopped only and only because of corruption in Congress (as alluded by Pranajoy). Look, I don't care about the complex caste composition, religious beliefs, etc etc. But I will not vote for Congress again because I believe it's a corrupt party to the core. Full Stop.
Can you give me instances of corruption please
This analysis misses one fact - at the state level BJP is the Shudra OBC party of choice. The reason is the Mandal politics. Mandal politics and OBC assertion created a government contractor builder land owner OBC moneyed class who are directly in hedonistic economic competition with OBC pasmanda Muslims financially and politically empowered by the same mandal revolution. It is the resource competition between these groups that the BJP used to bring the OBCs under the party's fold. Moreover these OBCs have quickly brahminised or kshatriyaised accepted vegetarianism and are loyal to the Hindutva cause. The best example is West Bengal where the bellicose and malicious Dilip Ghosh is the first non-Bhadralok political party leader in 100 years. Similarly in Bengal the BJP has won over the Hindu dalit migrants from East Bengal who are under direct political and economic competition with Bengali muslims imported from Bangladesh by the CPM as the life insurance of the communist party. Congress is stuck with a distinctly upper caste liberal clique who have no political base. The OBC shudras who have amassed under the BJP are not going anywhere. They are at the fore front of Hindutva activism. Pehlu Khan's (a pasmanda Muslim) lynchers were Yadavs - 30 years back these people were allies. But not anymore. While keeping the national politics and the RSS itself under the control of upper castes or Dvijas the BJP has groomed and empowered an OBC leadership at the state level that the elite have ceded power to. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu this is not relevant because the unlike the Bengal CPM, the Kerala CPM was converted into an OBC led party by Achuthanandan. Vijayan is Achuthanandan's ideological son. Tamil Dravidian politics was always about OBC power and OBC assertion. There is simply no future for the Congress. As a non-BJP altenative people may still vote for it in some states. But eventually Congress will be replaced by the AAP north of the Vindhyas. AAP is essentially a Hindu nationalist party with an appeal to the poor and neo middle class Hindus with development and ethical politics - there is market for it - ethical Hindutva without the hate. The future of the north Indian politics is hate-based Hindutva vs AAP's Hindutva.
True.
Being too long in power the party lost connection with the base. Many OBC leaders in Maharashtra who could not get space went to the Shivsena and then NCP.
The middle rung which consisted of mostly OBC leaders has shifted to the BJP. It is these people who have to be wooed back. The Dalits too are disillusioned with Mayawati and can be co-opted if the leadership is sincere
I still believe that at the core philosophy of Congress is Gender equality and a modern India. Irrespective of the social compartments, there is a common thread which still remains the Congress constituency - Women and all men with a progressive outlook. Congress can revive by strengthening its base in the said
Economic reality is like nature. You must eat 3 times, send kids to school, earn a living, that these things don’t change with seasons, fashions, or times. They have a wonderful way of bringing people down to earth, and these things prevail in the long run./ Why not think on the line,Modi is just a fall guy,he is simply pulling their chestnuts,had they wished, the duo would be in Jail for the rest of their lives but Congress needed few Ultracrepedarians,their choice should be appreciated.
Good analysis and fault finding, but this is just the first step. Something needs to be done urgently, who will strategise that, who will act on that, are the most important questions. The Congress, in the present form, is neither inclined to act nor seems to be capable of doing anything great. PK is a hope but he needs a team to follow up his plans. The top leaders appear to be too isolated and the second rung too demoralised to dream and achieve anything big.
Can you recommend a way ahead !
A theoretical strategy in practice requires a dynamic leader. A tall order for the Congress now.
when some one or something is losing, the whole world jumps in to give advice which is fair enough. But, the issue is, the world is not on the battle field like the congress is. so the world does not know the actual ground realities of that battle.so, i believe it is best left to the guy who is fighting the battle to devise the strategies and do and donts to win or survive in that battle for he is the only and only one who knows what is the real ground realities of the battle that is being fought. as they say, 'you know your body better than anyone'. having said all that, it alright for commentators to comment as it is their job to do so.
Dear Sonali Ranade (which is probably not your real name), this is Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. Whereas I agree with almost everything you have written, your analysis of the INC focusses excessively on caste politics (not that it is unimportant) and less on India's GOP failing to forge coalitions with smaller parties (because of the arrogance of its leaders) after 1989, including the parties that broke away from the INC, and, very importantly, the corruption in it midst – these are also factors that explain the mess the party is in at present. Finally a plug: Shankar Raghuraman and I wrote a book "Divided We Stand: India in a Time of Coalitions," the revised edition of which was published in 2007. Although much has happened in the last 24 years, our analysis of the decline of the Congress is still relevant (even though I say so). If you want to buy a signed copy write to me at paranjoy@gmail.com. Here's the link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Divided-We-Stand-India-Coalitions/dp/0761936637/ref=pd_sbs_2/262-5933184-2716514?pd_rd_w=FKVbh&pf_rd_p=950901b9-b71e-4c33-9fc5-41ec6db58ad1&pf_rd_r=W4QX4Q74BJH0K0ZRBF8R&pd_rd_r=5d02bbc7-200a-4b31-9493-8eff5c5d0315&pd_rd_wg=7iIyY&pd_rd_i=0761936637&psc=1
A good read indeed
A good attempt to understand Congress which in turn is to understand political dynamics of the country. I guess Congress can rebuild itself on the core constituency of Muslims at Pan-Indian level and floating constituencies of several groups and castes in different states. Congress has a huge advantage of being identified against any group. It must try to work it to its advantage.
* not being identified against any group. "
This erudite essay with the openness of What ails the Congress shimmers with various artifacts about the rejuvenation of the congress party in critical, impressive surgical precision and meticulousness. It's time for Congress to introspect intrinsically vested interest squelched in pure self-interest. Profound and brilliant.