Monday, May 21, 2012

DEVI CHERIAN: Pioneer-DilliBilli-May.20th.20​12-"Inaction will harm the Congress"

"INACTION WILL HARM THE CONGRESS"

Blaming the grassroots worker for the dismal performance in the Assembly elections will not help. The Congress should take action against State leaders who were incharge.

The Congress had gone into a shell for a long time after its loss in the Assembly elections in five States held earlier in the year. Last week, Sonia Gandhi held a meeting of some of her party’s faithfuls. The meeting took place after a panel headed by Defence Minister, AK Antony gave its report on the reasons for the shameful debacle of the party. The report, I am told, had some interesting things to say. Not that one expected anything different. The leaders who had been incharge of the Assembly elections were allowed to go scot-free. One wonders why the Congress set up this panel if it didn’t want to punish those who were incharge of the elections. Was it just to find the real reason for its loss or did the party intend to take corrective measures on the basis of the report?

Interestingly, everybody in the party has shrugged off the findings of the report. And the Congress has once again made itself a laughing stock. I am told that the report clearly indicates sycophancy. Meanwhile, the common man is extremely tired of all the committees and panels that are set-up. They know that after all the probe and findings nothing is likely to come out of it — no action will be taken. The public is aware of what is happening around them and doesn’t need the findings of a panel to know the truth.

The Congress leaders at the Centre who led the campaign in the States however, heaved a sigh of relief. The networking and coming up plausible explanation for failure worked in their favour. And once again it was the grassroots worker who had no say during the entire campaigning was blamed for the dismal performance of the largest national party in the country. One wonders when the Congress will get rid of sycophancy that exists in its ranks. Unless and until its top leaders are held responsible for the failures, how does the party plan to improve on its performance? What the party needs to do is to make a list of areas that have remained neglected. And only then can the blame be pinned.

There is no doubt that Rahul Gandhi worked very hard in Uttar Pradesh during the election. He worked day and night. He did what was expected from him and went along with the plans that were made by senior party leaders. To put the entire blame on his shoulders would be wrong. However, the senior Congressmen can’t escape from taking the blame for the party’s loss.
An important question needs to be answered. Did the leaders purposely misguide Rahul or were they really not in touch with ground reality? Or it could be that these leaders felt that it was not in their interest that the Congress win the elections. And if the party gives a clean chit to people who were incharge of the elections, the grassroots worker is bound to look for better options. The truth is that the party’s non-performance and infighting led to its loss. The Ministers who were given the charge of steering the party to victory should have strengthened its base. The Congress State leaders and

MLAs should be held responsible.
The Congress needs a complete makeover and reshuffling. The netas who only talk big and not deliver need to be removed. Grassroots worker who has a strong hold should be given more responsibilities. The panel report shows that the party is incapable of understanding the real situation. The leaders spend their time and effort in trying to please the top brass. The result has been detrimental to the Congress.

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