Himachal Congress Can Reform After Defeat
Prof N.K. Singh
Former Chairman International Airports Authority of India
Last elections concluded with victory for Virbhadra Singh and his sonwhen the Congress party went down the hill to its rock bottom. Belatedly the party in Himachal had introspection meeting to find reasons for going downso badly in the assembly elections. The newly appointed national president ofthe party Rahul Gandhi specially flew in to Shimla for a session with party leaders. What turned out in the end is that which was known to all but no one seemed to pin down to spell out the responsibility and accountability. General statements were finally made that leaders did not have link with grass root and connect to masses.
Rahul left an aphorism for the followers to connect with masses. Yes, the leader should command influence on followers. But did Rahul had any vision that he gave to his workers or did he get to lay down a charter of work, training and change of the existing morasses? No such insight has emerged from the atambodh. Even failure to pin down responsibility even on observers who were in charge of state election failed and should have been removed. What could be the sidelight of an important meeting turned out to be main head line hunting game for media in the slap of Congress MLA Asha Kumari to a woman constable and receiving one from two happened to be a former boxer. Asha should not have lost her cool but the organisation of meeting and access arrangement of the newly elected legislators to their own official conference was badly planned. Such mismanagement had become typical functioning of the party. No wonder sloppy working had becomeroutine in the party. That is why no one even commented on except that Virbhadra Singh mentioned it as main cause of entry mess but even he did not say what the root cause was.
Rahul bemoaned disconnect of leaders with masses but Virbhadra Singhrightly defended leaders and blamed the wrong selection of candidates resulting in humiliating defeat. Singh was explicit in indicating the lack of support leaving him lone fighter when everyone leaving him went to Gujarat. Central leadership of Congress did take Himachal for impending loss as cyclic necessity. They could have done a better fight than what happened by supporting fully Virbhadra Singh which he badly needed. But in internal warfare, Virbhadra Singh also excelled as he ensured that his rivals in theparty got eliminated which included Kaul Singh, G.S. Bali. He alsoindirectly offered support to those who were fighting the officialcandidate for example against Kaul Singh, Bhajji and many others.
Of course the loss of Asha in the race was her own doing unless she crosses the jinx in course of time. She had potential to lead Congress one dayif given proper opportunity and grooming. The party must think long term and develop vision. The Congress organisation is in total disarray as no leader has command over the grass root organisation except Virbhadra Singh. No stream lining of the structure or development of younger talent has been given serious attention. Even election was fought willy-nilly by fragmented block and districts. Did the party prepare for professional diagnosis of the anatomy andmalady by pondering on a per-documented analysis with facts to check how they went wrong and how they should reorganise for future? It failed in proper analysis. The biggest blind spot that party missed to examine total failure of the government of the state when it is unable to clear a central university and ensure good law and order level as seen in the Kotkhai rape and murder case.
There was wide resentment in the public when even heads of the police had to be arrested. Woman constable’s slap on a senior leader was indicator of poor management of important meeting. So was widescale negligence of the state which too contributed to the loss of Congress. It is very common to talk of anti-incumbency but it has proved to be a fiction as in cases of good governance the parties have held on for two, three or even four terms. Nothing should be done to find escape routes and some negligent actsmust be punished based on valid data and information. The party mustundertake a professional search for right vision and not get misled byjumlas. It is high time to undertake complete overhaul of the party andits structure but there are no signs it will be done.
Bus Stand
First Passenger: Do you know the woman constable who slapped a leader was a trained boxer?
Second Passenger: Thank God, she did not use her skills of a boxer.
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