Negativity

Presently several questions dominate the minds of those opposed to BJP. Whether there is scope for defeating BJP at the national level? Can we counter their fascist, divisive agenda? Will the opposition parties survive and save India, its democracy, freedom and its people?

Some raise doubts; some silently endorse; some are overconfident; some are resigned to fate. No serious, organised, coordinated effort by political parties, leaders or non-party individuals or groups are made to counter devious moves of BJP. This resulted in an air of negativity.

When the opposition parties win elections they are threatened by dissidence injected by BJP; when they lose, diffidence engulfs them. It is always a fact that thugs try to artfully dodge, evade laws using all weapons at their disposal. One has to cry or shout to catch culprits.

Congress on its part should not wait indefinitely for the opposition to unite and rally on issues threatening the country. It should take the lead to initiate, mobilise opinion, parties and people aggressively to unite and fight. They are not making enough visible efforts.

Congress can cite many excuses. So also the other opposition parties. It is natural for everyone to secure, safeguard, improve their strength. They should break their egos, to communicate; to induce and extract frankness, truth, sense and be responsive to build mutual trust.

There is absolutely no need for negativity. Their present approach is not going to achieve anything and their political future, survival may be at risk. This is apart from the dangers posed to democracy; peace, amity and prosperity of people.

It is not that everyone is materialistic and not amenable to reasons. It is not a hopeless situation as yet. If they fail to act it may become so. The opposition leaders, groups should learn from farmers how warmth, mutual concern, camaraderie help them to unite and fight.

Opening out

Congress and its leadership are liberal in their mindset but conservative in their actions to ensure the preservation of its values, principles while pursuing its healthy growth. Unfortunately, its growth did not happen and its health has gone from bad to worse.

The net result was its weaknesses and the leaders who caused them, stand exposed. Now what is needed is to face truth and reality boldly. It is only a Gandhian way that they have to revert back now. Let them become open, hearty, frank and communicative.

This was possible even before when deterioration started setting in. Maybe Congress leaders were not willing to decentralise the process of discussions and power of decision making, to hold on to their supremacy in the hierarchy. Party discipline, secrecy clauses were handy.

But the secrecy and discipline is for others in the party and not for its leaders. Confidential, closed-door meetings are discussed, countered live in the media. Why top leadership should not adopt Gandhian way to make the floor open, communicate with cadres, people, directly?

The Congress leaders act as intermediaries making top leadership the prisoners of their ‘expertise’ for information, analysis and decision making. They started power groups and controlled the communication with all its arms, wings, cadres and people. It damaged Congress.

The cautious and conservative approach of Congress creates a mental block. Extraordinary situations need bold measures. It is not as risky as it appears to be. Communicate with people and submit to them totally. Truth and transparency is the best way to fight Satanic forces.

It comes naturally to Gandhi family to be warm, affectionate, respectful, responsive to people in their interactions and communications. They are not afraid of anything; they have no ulterior motives; the only interest they have is for Congress, our country and its people.

They can choose their way, approach, priorities to open out and communicate. They may opt for controlled expansion initially to limit it if they so desire, to cadres, supporters, leaders. The warmth, goodwill, trust it generates will explode and expand to the people.

Complementary roles

Rahul and Gandhi family is still a force in Congress and the country. It is a deliberate understatement. If they decide to exit the scene Congress will disappear soon. BJP/ RSS want it. Some ego-driven Congress leaders may make it happen if they have their way.

Rahul and Gandhi family want to save the Congress party, its culture at any cost. But it is not their responsibility alone. Rahul expects his leaders to sacrifice, serve people, contribute with work on the ground, extend support for the younger generation to strengthen the party.

Congress should not make the party leader centric. That is not their culture. It is made so due to deformation, deterioration of organisational structure and strength over the decades. They should revert back to their old culture. Enthusiasm and activity should spread lower down. 

The decision-making process is a collective responsibility. Leaders make claims for success as their own and leave failures at the feet of their top leadership. It is something like blaming God for our failures and getting away from our responsibilities. 

Decisions are taken after due communication, discussions with all those involved even if they are taken at the top level. All of them play complementary, supplementary roles to evolve decisions. If errors creep in, there should be corrective mechanisms not blame games.

Whatever name one gives it, as body, committee, Politburo, it is a collective, complementary decision-making process involving the comprehensive analysis of information, details. It should be dispassionate and placed beyond doubts, disputes, acrimony to the extent possible.

It is a natural tendency to avoid changes disturbing the comfort of existing systems and practices, waving them away giving excuses. They also tend to make decision making overly sacred, secret, highly confidential processes falling under the exclusive domain of few individuals.

When many people are involved, trying to impose secrecy is artificial, counterproductive, not practical. They should have even dispute solving mechanisms to analyse, recognise the truth not necessarily to appease, assuage dissenters. It is needed more than a disciplinary body.

Beyond all this, it should be understood that all leaders including top leadership have their own inbuilt limitations, strengths, weaknesses. The complementary efforts make the evolution of decisions and their execution a wholesome and complete exercise. Let it happen in Congress.