Will Congress rebel against Rahul and Priyanka?

Cong Harakiri Act

- On what grounds was Priyanka Gandhi speaking in favour of wearing hijabs in schools?

- Neither Rahul nor Priyanka know the fickle-mindedness of the public. They do not have any concrete and patient opinions on any vital questions

- The results are a true reflection of the efforts of the leader' campaigns in different States

- The entitled leaders of Congress live their lives comfortably in the luxurious government allotted bungalows in Lutyens Delhi. Most of them are high-paid lawyers. Do a lip service in the name of party development

Debate and dialogue should continue to thrive in a democracy. There should be a lot of fruitful discussions in the Parliament too. That is a prerequisite for the strength and stability of any democracy. But since when did democracy allow making petty baseless allegations on your political opponent?

After careful assessment of the assembly election results in the five States, one can infer that the existence of the Congress party in India is close to its impending doom. In Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur, the Congress was brushed aside by the voters.

These results are proof that if the Congress isn't freed from the clasps of the Gandhi family, its presence in Indian politics shall be diminished to nothing more than a relic of the ancient past. Once the Election Commission had announced the election schedule on January 9, Priyanka Gandhi immediately began conducting roadshows and door-to-door campaigns at 42 places. She also contacted around 340 assembly constituencies through nukkad nataks, virtual rallies, and other channels. Her political campaigns were extensively witnessed over all the five States.

Rahul Gandhi also spent a lot of time campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, but a little less when compared to his sister. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, Sachin Pilot, Deepender Hooda, renowned poet and chief of Congress Minority Cell, Imran Pratapgarhi, were also seen working hard on the field. Imran Pratapgarhi single-handedly orchestrated six dozen meetings. However, the results were a true reflection of their efforts. In Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka and Rahul had to face off against powerful opponents like the Honourable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath, JP Nadda, and Rajnath Singh.

As anticipated, Congress was handed a crushing defeat in Uttar Pradesh and the remaining States. Congress has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 1989. The last Chief Minister of UP from the Congress party was Vir Bahadur Singh. That is disheartening because not too long ago, Uttar Pradesh used to be a Congress stronghold and the origin of the Nehru family. For the sake of its survival, the leadership of Congress must be given to a worthy leader who can take decisions and adequate vision. In that regard, there is only one ray of hope for Congress, that is Ashok Gehlot. But the daunting question that arises is if he is willing to give up the Chief Minister's position, to take command of the party as its new leader? There is a negligible chance of this outcome materialising.

Recall that prior to the elections of these five States, wherever Rahul Gandhi held rallies in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, Congress was rejected by the voters. His party did not even open its account in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The party with which extraordinary leaders like Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sardar Patel, and Chittaranjan Das were associated is now taking its last breath. What is even more pitiful is that there were no efforts made to save it from such a pitiful end.

Alongside the Gandhi family, some other party leaders will also have to take responsibility for the apocalyptic defeat of the Congress. There are dozens of so-called leaders, including Kapil Sibal, P Chidambaram, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of Congress who have no relation with the public. These entitled leaders live their lives comfortably in the luxurious government allotted bungalows in Lutyens Delhi. Most of them are high-paid lawyers. During their time off from advocacy, they start doing politics as a hobby to pass their time and stay relevant in the media. They believe that they are doing huge service to the party by simply appearing in the pretentious debates hosted by news channels.

Time and again, Priyanka Gandhi kept reiterating that she would work by staying in Uttar Pradesh.

If so, then why didn't she contest the election? Why does she avoid contesting elections? What kind of a leader runs away from the task of contesting elections. When the hijab controversy made headlines, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Girls have the right to wear hijab. If anyone wants to wear a bikini, they can wear that too." Should the leader of a national party make such a cheap statement?

On what grounds was Priyanka Gandhi speaking in favour of wearing hijabs in schools? Will anyone in India come to school wearing a bikini? Priyanka Gandhi should understand that the voters of the country see everything. In September last year, with the blessings of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, JNU's tukde-tukde gang leader Kanhaiya Kumar had entered Congress. This was the same Kanhaiya Kumar who accused the Indian Army jawans of committing heinous acts like rape in Kashmir. Was Congress also standing by Kanhaiya Kumar's absurd and absurd allegations? Priyanka Gandhi never clarified on what basis Kanhaiya Kumar was accusing the Indian Army? If one supports the anti-national elements, the public will serve them justice in the elections.

Neither Rahul nor Priyanka know the fickle-mindedness of the public. They do not have any concrete and patient opinions on any vital questions. Rahul Gandhi wants to replace Narendra Modi, and Priyanka wishes to become the second Indira Gandhi. However, both of them have not been able to understand India yet. That is why today, the condition of the Congress party has become very despicable. They seem to have made up their mind to bring about the destruction of Congress.

Everything was going well in Punjab before their intrusion. After they removed the political stalwart, Captain Amarinder Singh, from the position of the Chief Minister and made a non-serious prankster like Navjot Singh Sidhu, the head of the party, the downfall of Congress in Punjab began. The consequences of their decisions are pretty evident. Let us recall the last Lok Sabha elections (2019). Except in Kerala and Punjab, the performance of the Congress was not satisfactory anywhere. Congress won in Punjab only because of the leadership of former Patiala King Captain Amarinder Singh. Rahul Gandhi pitted Navjot Singh Sidhu against the same Captain Amarinder Singh. Sidhu is extremely special to Rahul Gandhi, and he was given entry into the Congress party even after the reluctancy of the captain. Rahul Gandhi had sent Sidhu to campaign across the country. During his campaigns, he used vile and abusive language against BJP and Modi Ji. As nothing misses the public's watchful eyes, wherever Sidhu went, his party was defeated.

Debate and dialogue should continue to thrive in a democracy. There should be a lot of fruitful discussions in the Parliament too. That is a prerequisite for the strength and stability of any democracy. But since when did democracy allow making petty baseless allegations on your political opponent? The central leadership in Congress is continuously weakening. Central leadership is powerful when it has some credibility among the people. Rahul Gandhi is not able to get the party any victory. One cannot help but wonder why there is no uprising in Congress against the leadership of the Gandhi family.

(The writer is a senior editor, columnist, and former MP)