Having been in a state of stupor since its humiliating defeat in the last Lok Sabha election, the Congress has bestirred itself following the coronavirus outbreak.After a lull, there is a flurry of activity, suggesting that the Congress is looking at the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to recover lost ground, energise its workers and revive the party. Beset with a host of internal problems, the Congress has been trying desperately to find a winning formula which would put it on the path to recovery. But to little avail.
Sonia Gandhi, who had been lying low during her second stint as party president, has been unusually active over the past few weeks. Resuming her ‘take charge’ role, she has been on the job, urging her party colleagues to extend all necessary help to vulnerable sections, like migrant workers and poor farmers.
Stepping out of her self-imposed hibernation, Sonia Gandhi convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee to discuss all issues pertaining to the containment of coronavirus. The party chief also constituted a special task force, comprising P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh and Veerappa Moily to work with Congress-ruled state governments to handle the coronavirus crisis. She also held a videoconference with state unit chiefs to get feedback from them about the pandemic situation in their respective states.
At the same time, Sonia Gandhi set up a 24-hour war room at the party headquarters to coordinate with the states on the measures being taken to help people who have been put to hardship because of the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus. Lately, Congress chief ministers Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel have been especially fielded at the party’s daily press briefings to showcase the measures they have initiated in their respective states to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
In addition, Sonia has dashed off five letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which she drew attention to the plight of construction workers and rural poor, and offered several suggestions on how the government can alleviate their suffering.Though Sonia has repeatedly assured the Prime Minister of unstinted support of the Congress in the Centre’s efforts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, the party soon realised that it could not abdicate its role as the opposition.
So despite Sonia’s public offer of full cooperation, the Congress Working Committee and party spokespersons have unfailingly castigated the Modi government for being ill-prepared to deal with this serious public health emergency, for not providing financial support to the poor and for not releasing adequate resources to the state governments to fund their programmes against COVID-19.However, it will be extremely naïve on the part of the Congress to believe that COVID-19 can pave the way for the party’s revitalisation. Or if it is waiting for the public to become disillusioned with the Modi government’s slipshod handling of the pandemic.
Sonia is undoubtedly making a valiant effort to see that the Congress is not rendered politically irrelevant. But besides flagging key issues, the party can hope to make any lasting impact if its workers are visibly active in the field, providing relief to those needing assistance.The Bharatiya Janata Party is at a distinct advantage here as it is in power, and its cadres are far more organised. Except for those states where the Congress is heading governments, its workers are struggling to make their presence felt.But its depleted strength and shrinking footprint is not the only impediment faced by the Congress. Its biggest handicap is leadership and credibility. And it loses out to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on both these counts. Once the toast of the opposition, Sonia Gandhi is a pale shadow of her old self today, while Rahul Gandhi has clearly failed to make the grade.
While staring at a leadership vacuum, the Congress also has a serious credibility crisis on hand. It has, over the past six years, been discredited to such an extent that it is finding it difficult to pull back from the brink. The Congress is unable to say or do anything that resonates with the people. Take, for instance, the ‘Bhilwara model’ of containment of COVID-19 being replicated by other states. Yet, nobody is giving any credit to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for how he acted swiftly to contain the pandemic.
On the other hand, the BJP towers over the Congress. Modi’s popularity ratings remain as high as ever, his magic undiminished. And the Prime Minister’s hold over the people remains iron-clad. Proof of Modi’s power was provided (if at all proof was needed) recently when he successfully played Pied Piper and mesmerised an entire nation into clapping, ringing bells, beating thaalis and lighting lamps as a show of solidarity at a time when the nation is facing an unprecedented health crisis.Would any Congress leader have succeeded in eliciting a similar response? The question does not even merit an answer.
Anita Katyal
The writer is a senior journalist.
This column will appear every fortnight