Congress underestimated the surreptitious character and organised ways BJP/ RSS infiltrate, percolate and poison the minds of the people exploiting their weaknesses to gain power and impose their agenda. But more than that Congress was weakened, destroyed by its leaders.

Modi/ Shah/ RSS is now combining all these with unbridled aggression of all kinds misusing their power, position, money and threats to people. The norms, principles, practices, democracy, justice have all been ignored long back. Modi/ Shah never recognised them since 2002.

The chronology of events after the 2014 win reveal their unethical, aggressive, unscrupulous approach in every action of Modi regime. Whether it is demonetisation, GST, CAA, EVMs, subjugating every part of the system and groups, they did it and doing it without any remorse.

The truth will ultimately prevail. But there is an immediate need to spread, percolate the truth before it is too late. Rahul should plan and build a force, pressure for faster change and realisation. This is not the time to wait but to act. If not Congress may get trapped.

Congress ceded ground without much of a fight in a majority of the areas due to inactivity and opportunism of its leaders. There is an urgent need to create or induct mass leaders employing all democratic and ethical means including discussion, reasoning and persuasion.

Congress need not discount or exclude anyone in this process including their dissenting and inactive leaders. But they should fall in line with new norms and actions evolved after allowing unrestricted flow of information, views and thorough backroom analysis.

We do have talented people inside the Congress party and outside it. They should be allowed to emerge and brought in removing all obstacles that are created in between by power-hungry leaders. Our politics has changed. Exceptional situations require extraordinary responses.

The good services and support of all ‘right’ thinking people are needed. Congress leaders should understand the gravity of their ailment;  believe their ability to overcome them. The patient should take the initiative to get back to health. Lest all will lose their patience.

Every party adopts the power structure and transmission system that suits their character. It also varies depending on the leadership at a particular point of time.  BJP/ RSS has few commands presently from where power flows. Their leaders, cadres toe their line religiously.

Congress has its high command, advisers, leaders, cadres apart from sympathisers, supporters outside its ring. The democratic nature of its inbuilt character is reflected naturally in freedom of expression, actions with a liberal dose of indisciplines and shifting loyalties.

The power in Congress lies hidden with its advisors and not so much as seen in the hands of high command though it carries the stamp of high command more akin to the quality controls they exercise with care, concern, precautions, experience, trust and responses from people.

The inadequacies, weaknesses of the advisors do get reflected in conclusions, decisions that flow out. Though the selection of close advisors is in the hands of high command, it is not always possible or practical to change advisors frequently as it has an unsettling effect. 

Other senior leaders also act as advisors and are consulted. They contribute with their experience, exposure and specialised knowledge in specific areas of their expertise. The execution of plans lies with its leaders at all levels through cadres and people. It fails often.

This kind of democratic setup is bonded together by discussion, reasoning, mutual accommodation of views and more on consensus or majority-based decision making. When this does not happen due to silences, gaps in action, communication, it results in failures of various grades.

Blaming high command for the failures of all involved in the process is foolish and disproportionate. High command forms part of the failure for its role in trusting people and entrusting the jobs to them. The problem lies in process of discussions and evolution of solutions.

The participation of a complex group of people with different backgrounds, age, aptitude, experience, emotion and passion levels, free, objective discussions do not always happen. This is definitely so in politics where covert powerplays and overt power displays are obvious.

Interpersonal relationships, human failings, sentiments aggravated by egos and self-assumed importance add additional dimensions to differences, internal conflicts to block the free exchange of views in resolving issues. This result in wastage of energies of all concerned.

There is scope and need for shifting more of their actions to a backroom mechanism channelising a free flow of all information, ideas from all levels for logical analysis without limitations of time so that analytical process is more complete, comprehensive and conclusive.

A backroom team will be better equipped to do the necessary search and research collecting all data, information and ideas in a free, calm and serene atmosphere without a play of egos but only driven logic, sense and near-complete analysis. 

The quality of their interim conclusions will be vetted by senior leaders and high command. When in doubt it can be sent back for further consideration with notings, doubts and observations. Decisions will rely on more complete information than on perceptions/ intuitions.

The Congress leaders are reserving their actions at the top than at the ground level. The real problems and issues before the party continue to remain real while shadow boxing of its leaders is going on surreal issues that get dutifully highlighted, focussed by paid media.  

The internal disputes, dissensions are solvable. What is required is frank, ‘ego-free’ discussions for the elimination of these issues within and not ejection of leaders. Appropriate persons including the backroom analysts may be used as a tie/ lie breaking mechanism. 

The senior leaders are not God. They are not infallible. When they are experienced they develop a better perception that helps in quicker understanding of issues to take right and timely decisions. But perception and intuitions cannot substitute perfection and precision.

They do activate a consultative process or form committees when problems, issues crop up. Congress party uses the services of senior, experienced leaders for such missions and committees. How then near-complete erosion of base in many states like Orissa, AP, Telangana happened?

When in government leaders, ministers have the support of bureaucracy, information, consultations. When in opposition they need them all the more but are deprived of it. The support system now is perhaps inadequate to do such analytical work objectively, comprehensively.

The availability of talents is not a problem. One should have a mindset to change; opt for a systemic approach to preempt, correct problems as they crop out; not to reject them as theories. Practicals emerge out of theories, whether for sending satellites or living on earth.

Whether such meticulous, painstaking efforts are required? Presently they are required to counter people like Modi/ Shah who transform themselves as ‘bulldozers’ and ‘JCBs’ demolishing democratic structures with least concern for all norms, civility, and sufferings of people.