Is the Congress in Its Current State Because It Keeps Running Away from the Truth?
New Delhi : At its recently concluded two-day convention on the banks of the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, the Congress party made an effort to regain lost ground, but due to lack of clear direction and strategy, it once again appeared indecisive and confused. Even though Mallikarjun Kharge, a leader from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family, has become party president after many years, the party seems more focused on deflection and damage control than on honest introspection.
President Kharge called on party workers to fight a “second freedom struggle” for democracy and reiterated the demand to conduct elections using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Casting doubt on EVMs has now become a routine reaction from opposition parties after electoral defeats. But is it right to forget that the only emergency in India’s history was imposed by the Congress?
Using the Waqf Amendment Bill as a pretext, Rahul Gandhi once again targeted the RSS and talked about intensifying the movement for caste-based census under a strategy to consolidate Brahmin, Dalit, and Muslim votes. However, the party failed to address why it has not been able to regain power in major states like Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, or Gujarat after losing it once.
It is ironic that while the Congress remembers the legacy of Sardar Patel, it doesn’t go to pay tribute to his statue in Kevadia. Patel not only unified hundreds of princely states into India but also played a key role in the reconstruction of the Somnath temple—something Congress still continues to ignore.
Be it the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya or the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, no major Congress leader is seen participating in these religious and national events. This is despite the fact that it was during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure that the locks of the Ram temple were opened. This contradiction highlights the confused thinking within today’s Congress.
The kind of caste-based politics Congress is now promoting stands in stark contrast to its own ideological history. Meanwhile, the BJP—formerly known as the Jana Sangh—has emerged as the most dominant party at the national level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself comes from the OBC community, and the BJP enjoys widespread support among backward and Dalit communities. If the Congress believes that a caste census alone will win it OBC votes, it is making a grave miscalculation.
The organizational structure of the Congress has all but collapsed. In several states, there is no active process to build a grassroots cadre. Leaders are unwilling to resign even after electoral defeats, and they remain disconnected from the public. In cities like Delhi, Congress leaders are dreaming of returning to power if the AAP government falls, but have no clear strategy in sight.
By handing over leadership to figures like Kanhaiya Kumar, the Congress has created confusion in sensitive states like Bihar. Meanwhile, the opposition alliance meant to challenge the BJP appears more entangled in internal squabbles than united in purpose.
Kharge’s statement at the convention—“Those who don’t want to work hard should leave the party”—has further deepened factionalism. Leaders, unable to shed their long-standing arrogance from years in power, continue to drag the party down.
What the Congress truly needs today is honest introspection, active engagement with the public, elevation of new leadership, and respect for nationalist sentiments. Without focusing on these fundamental elements, a Congress revival is highly unlikely. To regain its old credibility, speeches alone won’t suffice—what’s needed is a robust ground-level strategy and, more importantly, the courage to confront the truth.
