Rat Race
Heartburn over Shivir invitation sans criteria
Congress leaders across the country are expressing disappointment over the party’s decision to invite leaders for the Nav Sankalp Shivir at Udaipur without any criteria. The party had originally sent out invitations to 400 leaders. This included All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries and in charges of states, AICC secretaries, members of the Congress Working Committee, heads of party’s various departments and frontal organisation, Congress Legislature Party leaders in states, state Congress presidents, members of Parliament from both Houses, etc. But at the last moment, a little over 50 additional invitations were sent. This is where the party hurt its leaders around the country. While the first 400 invitations were based on some criteria, the last 50 was a random pick-and-choose. For example, Jignesh Mevani was invited from the election-bound Gujarat, but Hardik Patel was left out. Hardik has already been upset with the party. Inviting one young leader from his state and leaving him out has reportedly worked as salt on his wounds. A couple of ministers were invited from Maharashtra. This has upset their party colleagues in the state Cabinet. The big question before the party was, however, how to accommodate Sachin Pilot. He did not fall in any of the original criteria. But the party did not wish to hold the Shivir in Rajasthan and not invite Pilot. It was, therefore, decided to invite him as a former Union minister. So along with him, a few former Union ministers were invited. This has caused heartburn among a large number of other former Union ministers who did not get the invite.
Trump card
Reservation genie out of bottle
The Congress party has let the reservation genie out of the bottle. By promising to take up reservation for the OBCs in Parliament and state legislatures and demanding a nationwide caste census, the party seems to have finally come up with a narrative to counter the BJP’s Hindutva platform. The attempt seems to check BJP’s pan-Hindu consolidation. The party hopes that its call for reservation would galvanise social groups and youth belonging to the weaker sections and that the quota narrative would divide and weaken the Hindutva narrative. Party leaders feel that its quota call would deal a body blow to the BJP’s twin planks of Hindutva and welfarism. They say the Congress proposal on job reservations offers empowerment. This would be more appealing than the BJP’s doles under its welfare schemes. The party feels that its promise of reservation may also help it wean away the BJP’s Hindutva foot soldiers who are mostly from the weaker sections. Congress leaders, however, underlined the legal challenges in implementing its quota proposals. The Supreme Court has earlier this month stayed the Madhya Pradesh government’s decision to reserve seats for OBCs in local bodies. Congress party’s social justice and empowerment committee chairman Salman Khursheed said the party would explore ways to ensure that the Congress proposal on reservation passes judicial scrutiny. At the Nav Sankalp Shivir in Udaipur, party leaders appeared upbeat about the new narrative and termed it as the Mandal.2 moment in India’s political history.
Going back to roots
Shivir sees Congress attempts to reclaim its legacy
The Udaipur Shivir saw the Congress party reclaim its leaders who have recently been adopted by its adversaries, especially the BJP and the AAP. The BJP has been trying hard to make India’s Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel its icon. The AAP, similarly, has tried to appropriate BR Ambedkar. The Congress itself has been neglecting some of its leaders such as former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. The Congress party used to display its top leaders right from the days of freedom struggle at its large meetings like the AICC sessions. But the pictures of Congress icons had disappeared over the years. Udaipur Shivir, however, saw the return of large posters of past Congress stalwarts such as Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Netaji, Ambedkar, Shastri, Gokhale, Rajendra Prasad, Sarojini Naidu, Lajpat Rai, Maulana Azad, besides Tagore and Bhagat Singh. The interesting part of the posters put up at the venue was the prominence given to PV Narasimha Rao. Rao’s picture was put on the same poster as Manmohan Singh. Asked why Narasimha Rao had suddenly made an appearance at Congress function, a Congress leader remarked: “You don’t realise the value of what you have, unless someone else wants it.”