- May 02, 2024
- YagnaSri
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General Election 2024: A Peek into BJP Vs Congress political battle
Up until this point, we have concluded only two rounds of the 2024 Lok Sabha General elections, with five phases yet to be conducted. However, the Indian National Congress party is illustrating precisely what should be steered clear of in an election campaign. The campaign is marked by a dearth of effective leadership, a cohesive strategy, innovative ideas to communicate, adequate personnel and funding, and even the drive to win. The party still has people who assert that they are firmly resolved to achieve victory. However, the current situation does not align with that perspective. It is a common practice for individuals, even those without exceptional abilities, to develop a strategic plan, irrespective of the gains, when they aim to secure victory. The current Congress party and its leadership display none of these qualities. In all honesty, their mindset revolves around the conviction that they are deserving of winning the elections, leading them to firmly believe in their forthcoming victory. The first and foremost priority is to address the issue of leadership, as it plays a critical role in the overall success. Despite being born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi holds the unique distinction of serving as party president for the longest period in history, which is an ironic twist considering her nationality, even though she is currently not active in that role. Despite still maintaining some level of influence over the party, her leadership has noticeably declined following the death of Ahmad Patel, a key figure who served as her closest aide and played multiple crucial roles. Another dependable cadre, Pranab Mukherjee having been elected as President of India, couldn’t take up important responsibilities of a crisis manager. Perhaps the most notable failure in Indian political history is none other than Rahul Gandhi, the princeling of the Gandhi family. He had all the advantages that a political leader dreams of, yet he managed to squander every opportunity that crossed his path. The UPA rule presented him with the chance to assume important ministerial responsibilities, and even potentially become the Prime Minister. However, at that time, he made the decision not to assume any position. The end result was that he missed an important chance to showcase his effectiveness as an administrator, which could have bolstered his standing in the eyes of the nation. Not only did he rarely show up for Parliament, but he never made any significant contributions to any discussions to showcase his abilities as a skilled parliamentarian. In terms of his contribution to the party work, it started off sporadically and unfortunately, showed little improvement throughout the entire UPA period. Even after being appointed as the party president, he continued to display a lack of serious involvement. His failure can be attributed to multiple factors, including his lack of interest, involvement, and understanding in key areas such as economics, law, and basic administrative knowledge and leadership skills. This became more apparent after NDA government came to power in 2014. Despite numerous attempts by his family to launch him and promote him as a leader his lack of knowledge and skills backfired his political elevation. Even his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra fails to inspire any confidence. Firstly, she is showing clear indications of being as non-serious as Rahul Gandhi. It appears that she lacks the necessary political brilliance expected of a good politician. Besides, Sonia Gandhi’s primary focus is on promoting Rahul Gandhi over Priyanka Vadra. The chances of the Gandhi family loosening their firm hold on the party are little to none at this time. Even though Mr Mallikarjuna Kharge has been appointed as the new party president, it is widely acknowledged that he is merely a figurehead for the family, with everyone being aware that the true authority lies with the family. The current Congress party lacks effective leadership and direction. It is unlikely that the party will find suitable leadership. Now, let's take a closer look at the plan INC has formulated to prevent the BJP and NDA from gaining the majority. BJP and INC have a direct fight in multiple states including H.P., Uttarakhand, M.P., Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Assam, Karnataka, Goa, etc. With Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gradually disintegrating in the state of Telangana, the real political battle is between BJP and INC. In a situation like this, it is of utmost importance that the INC takes the initiative to confront the BJP directly whenever there is a one-on-one battle between the two parties. Currently, the BJP is emerging victorious in over 90% of the one-on-one contests against the INC. As long as this situation persists, INC will have no power to put a stop to BJP unless INC and its allies emerge victorious over the NDA in Bihar and Tamil Nadu. At present, it seems improbable for the INC to secure a victory over the BJP in a one-on-one contest. But as of now, INC bereft of any poll strategy is banking on a blend of unsuccessful socialist policies that have been recycled over decades. They are pandering to Muslims and announced freebies to counter the BJP. INC is advocating wealth redistribution, reservations for Muslims, vote jihad, and other divisive ideas. This agenda had shattered the optimism of the cadres to campaign for the party. Congress party appears to be completely unaware of the chaos they have caused and shows no desire to rectify the situation. With slim chances of winning, the demotivated ground-level workers are leaving the party at the crucial election hour. The local leaders are often left to fight isolated battles against the highly organized and well-led BJP national electoral machine, which is further bolstered by the charismatic leadership of Narendra Modi. On the contrary, steered by effective leadership and equipped with a progressive agenda for the future of the nation, the BJP is fighting the elections with a strong determination and unwavering commitment to secure a third-term victory. For the common voters, it is impossible to ignore the stark contrast between the INC and the inspiring leadership of BJP stalwarts. The INC had inflicted major damage on the country with their half-backed socialist policies, minority appeasement and rampant corruption. Their rightful place is now among the discarded relics of history. Consequently, the party's descent into insignificance shouldn’t be a major surprise to future generations. Image source: NDTV- Apr 30, 2024
- LT GEN P R SHANKAR (Retd)