Whatever be the fate of Congress government in Rajasthan, a massive blow has been delivered to the Congress leadership by Sachin Pilot. He has shown that central leadership does not count for anything in the Congress and demonstrated the weakness of the Interim Congress President. 
 
Imagine that party’s top leadership was unable to speak to him through Sunday. After Jyotiraditya Scindhia, it will be the second big exit from the Congress if it happens.

Even in Maharashtra, a fait accompli was served to Sonia Gandhi whereby regional leadership went and formed the government with Shiv Sena and NCP.

Secondly, many leaders in the Congress are comparing an impending exit by Sachin Pilot and his marginalization to a purge in the party where they feel that Rahul Gandhi does not want some leaders in the organizational fold anymore. Many have silently conveyed that they are paying the price for suggesting a non-Gandhi name for the position of the President of the party after Rahul Gandhi’s exit.

Thirdly, 2019 Lok Sabha defeat did away with the old binary of old vs new in the Congress Party. After 2019 defeat, a new political architecture has evolved in the Congress. A section of the party is being run by Rahul Gandhi through organizational general secretary K C Venugopal and another by senior leader Ahmad Patel who by virtue of his political weight continues to exercise power in the organization. It is no more a fight between old and new, but between a Rahul Gandhi camp and others, and has young and old in both camps. For example, Sachin Pilot met Ahmad Patel but did not make himself available to the top leadership of the Congress, despite being once considered close to Rahul Gandhi, while Ashok Gehlot is now closer to Rahul Gandhi where he was once considered Ahmad Patel’s man.

Added to this melee is another set of people whom I call the “lost generation” who are loyal Congressmen but considered close to Ahmad Patel and could never reconfigure a relationship with Rahul Gandhi who always regarded them with a degree of suspicion. This “lost generation” is also one of the main reason behind the dissent as most of them joined Congress when Sonia Gandhi was taking over the party in 90s. Coming back to the point, 10 Janpath is confident that Rahul Gandhi would take over as the President of the Congress in August and would like leaders in sync with him, leaving others out in the cold.

In politics, however, wishes don’t&nbsp;turn into reality. If and when Rahul Gandhi takes over the Congress, he will, once again, inherit a party that is at loggerheads with the leadership. Deepinder Hooda’s Rajya Sabha seat is the best example where his father Bhupinder Hooda made sure of his son’s ticket to the Upper House despite opposition from the Gandhi family.

Sachin Pilot may or may not remain in the Congress, but his exit would send a message to leaders like RPN Singh, Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada, people who went on to become the young faces of UPA 2 between 2009-2014 that despite their age (or lack of it) if not firmly aligned with the Gandhi’s, they may have no space in the party.

Though some politicians like Ashok Tanwar have been compromised in the feud, the writing on the wall is clear that Rahul Gandhi will not let go of control and is being actively encouraged to intervene more openly. In the meeting held on Saturday with party MPs, Interim President Sonia Gandhi asked Rahul Gandhi to intervene a number of times when, barring a few, the rest of them praised him for a “successful” anti-government campaign. Rahul Gandhi politely refused to intervene almost all the times but the writing on the wall was clear and that being that this time Sonia Gandhi will not let allow any dissent on Rahul Gandhi.

Sachin Pilot is himself a dynast like Jyotiraditya Scindhia but his reinvention in 2014 made him get rid of the dynast tag. He reinvented himself and worked in Rajasthan where other people were sulking in Delhi. It is for this reason, he still enjoys sympathy.

Life within Congress can continue as normal even if Sachin Pilot leaves, but it will impact its image badly. In the 1970s and 80s, socialists were bitter adversaries of Indira Gandhi, but they could never keep their house in order. They also sealed the image in public that they could neither run a government efficiently nor be a cohesive political unit. In this case, the continuous exit of leaders for varying reasons can reinforce the image that Rahul Gandhi cannot run the Congress properly. Sometimes perceptions become a liability bigger than the actual weight of facts and Rahul Gandhi needs to be mindful of it. By 1990s, Indians junked socialists after romanticising them for 45 years and voted for BJP as an alternative to Congress. Rest is history.

Congress lost Lok Sabha elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. 2024 is far away. If he cannot put the house in order, then there will be nothing to fight against with and Congress will get reduced to another Swatantra Party or Jan Sangh which neither had a say nor the way in Lok Sabha till Indira Gandhi was alive. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Whatever be the fate of Congress government in Rajasthan, a massive blow has been delivered to the Congress leadership by Sachin Pilot. He has shown that central leadership does not count for anything in the Congress and demonstrated the weakness of the Interim Congress President.

Whatever be the fate of Congress government in Rajasthan, a massive blow has been delivered to the Congress leadership by Sachin Pilot. He has shown that central leadership does not count for anything in the Congress and demonstrated the weakness of the Interim Congress President. Imagine that party’s top leadership was unable to speak to him through Sunday. After Jyotiraditya Scindhia, it will be the second big exit from the Congress if it happens. Even in Maharashtra, a fait accompli was served to Sonia Gandhi whereby regional leadership went and formed the government with Shiv Sena and NCP. Secondly, many leaders in the Congress are comparing an impending exit by Sachin Pilot and his marginalization to a purge in the party where they feel that Rahul Gandhi does not want some leaders in the organizational fold anymore. Many have silently conveyed that they are paying the price for suggesting a non-Gandhi name for the position of the President of the party after Rahul Gandhi’s exit. Thirdly, 2019 Lok Sabha defeat did away with the old binary of old vs new in the Congress Party. After 2019 defeat, a new political architecture has evolved in the Congress. A section of the party is being run by Rahul Gandhi through organizational general secretary K C Venugopal and another by senior leader Ahmad Patel who by virtue of his political weight continues to exercise power in the organization. It is no more a fight between old and new, but between a Rahul Gandhi camp and others, and has young and old in both camps. For example, Sachin Pilot met Ahmad Patel but did not make himself available to the top leadership of the Congress, despite being once considered close to Rahul Gandhi, while Ashok Gehlot is now closer to Rahul Gandhi where he was once considered Ahmad Patel’s man. Added to this melee is another set of people whom I call the “lost generation” who are loyal Congressmen but considered close to Ahmad Patel and could never reconfigure a relationship with Rahul Gandhi who always regarded them with a degree of suspicion. This “lost generation” is also one of the main reason behind the dissent as most of them joined Congress when Sonia Gandhi was taking over the party in 90s. Coming back to the point, 10 Janpath is confident that Rahul Gandhi would take over as the President of the Congress in August and would like leaders in sync with him, leaving others out in the cold. In politics, however, wishes don’t turn into reality. If and when Rahul Gandhi takes over the Congress, he will, once again, inherit a party that is at loggerheads with the leadership. Deepinder Hooda’s Rajya Sabha seat is the best example where his father Bhupinder Hooda made sure of his son’s ticket to the Upper House despite opposition from the Gandhi family. Sachin Pilot may or may not remain in the Congress, but his exit would send a message to leaders like RPN Singh, Milind Deora and Jitin Prasada, people who went on to become the young faces of UPA 2 between 2009-2014 that despite their age (or lack of it) if not firmly aligned with the Gandhi’s, they may have no space in the party. Though some politicians like Ashok Tanwar have been compromised in the feud, the writing on the wall is clear that Rahul Gandhi will not let go of control and is being actively encouraged to intervene more openly. In the meeting held on Saturday with party MPs, Interim President Sonia Gandhi asked Rahul Gandhi to intervene a number of times when, barring a few, the rest of them praised him for a “successful” anti-government campaign. Rahul Gandhi politely refused to intervene almost all the times but the writing on the wall was clear and that being that this time Sonia Gandhi will not let allow any dissent on Rahul Gandhi. Sachin Pilot is himself a dynast like Jyotiraditya Scindhia but his reinvention in 2014 made him get rid of the dynast tag. He reinvented himself and worked in Rajasthan where other people were sulking in Delhi. It is for this reason, he still enjoys sympathy. Life within Congress can continue as normal even if Sachin Pilot leaves, but it will impact its image badly. In the 1970s and 80s, socialists were bitter adversaries of Indira Gandhi, but they could never keep their house in order. They also sealed the image in public that they could neither run a government efficiently nor be a cohesive political unit. In this case, the continuous exit of leaders for varying reasons can reinforce the image that Rahul Gandhi cannot run the Congress properly. Sometimes perceptions become a liability bigger than the actual weight of facts and Rahul Gandhi needs to be mindful of it. By 1990s, Indians junked socialists after romanticising them for 45 years and voted for BJP as an alternative to Congress. Rest is history. Congress lost Lok Sabha elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. 2024 is far away. If he cannot put the house in order, then there will be nothing to fight against with and Congress will get reduced to another Swatantra Party or Jan Sangh which neither had a say nor the way in Lok Sabha till Indira Gandhi was alive. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Congress at crossroads again

After Jairam Ramesh spoke about <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/the-sultanate-has-gone-but-we-behave-as-if-we-are-sultans-still-jairam-ramesh-on-congress-party-18670" target="_blank">Congress party facing an &quot;existential crisis&quot;</a>, senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has asked his fellow Congressmen to look at the reality.

&quot;Congressmen should look at the reality. We have only 44 MPs and faced serious setbacks,&quot; Aiyar told ANI.

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Congressmen should look at reality. We have only 44 MPs&amp; faced serious setbacks: Mani Shankar Aiyar on Jairam Ramesh&#39;s statement on Congress <a href="https://t.co/KuYNyubCFH">pic.twitter.com/KuYNyubCFH</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/895608639406223361">August 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also said that Ramesh is a true Congressman and what he said should not be ignored.

The former minister said if the party doesn&#39;t &quot;pay attention to different opinions and find out the solution then we cannot go forward&quot;.

On Monday, Jairam Ramesh asserted that the Congress is facing an existential crisis and a collective effort is required to overcome the challenges faced by the party.

Ramesh said that the party has to understand that it faces a&nbsp;challenge from Modi and Shah who think differently&nbsp;and if it isn&#39;t flexible in its approach it will become irrelevant.

He also&nbsp;said that old slogans don&#39;t work anymore as India has changed and the party needs to change. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Aiyar said that the party needs to look at the reality that it has just 44 members of parliament and faced serious setbacks

After Jairam Ramesh spoke about Congress party facing an "existential crisis", senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has asked his fellow Congressmen to look at the reality. "Congressmen should look at the reality. We have only 44 MPs and faced serious setbacks," Aiyar told ANI. Congressmen should look at reality. We have only 44 MPs& faced serious setbacks: Mani Shankar Aiyar on Jairam Ramesh's statement on Congress pic.twitter.com/KuYNyubCFH — ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2017 × He also said that Ramesh is a true Congressman and what he said should not be ignored. The former minister said if the party doesn't "pay attention to different opinions and find out the solution then we cannot go forward". On Monday, Jairam Ramesh asserted that the Congress is facing an existential crisis and a collective effort is required to overcome the challenges faced by the party. Ramesh said that the party has to understand that it faces a challenge from Modi and Shah who think differently and if it isn't flexible in its approach it will become irrelevant. He also said that old slogans don't work anymore as India has changed and the party needs to change.

Another Congressman joins chorus, Mani Shankar Aiyar says party 'needs to look at reality'

The Congress is facing an &quot;existential crisis&quot;, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh today said and pitched for &quot;a collective effort&quot; by party leaders to &quot;overcome&quot; the challenges it faced from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

Ramesh also said that business as usual approach will not work against Modi and Shah and advocated for a flexibility in approach to make Congress relevant.

&quot;Yes, the Congress party is facing a very serious crisis,&quot; Ramesh told PTI in an interview.

He said the Congress had faced &quot;electoral crisis&quot; from 1996 to 2004 when it was out of power. The party had also faced &quot;electoral crisis&quot; in 1977 when it lost the elections held soon after the emergency.

&quot;But today, I would say that the Congress is facing an existential crisis. It is not an electoral crisis. The party really is in deep crisis,&quot; he said, when asked whether the threat of &quot;poaching&quot; of MLAs posed by the BJP in Gujarat had forced the party to transport its MLAs to Karnataka to ensure party leader Ahmed Patel&#39;s victory in the Rajya Sabha polls.

He, however, justified the Gujarat Congress&#39;s decision to send 44 of its MLAs to a resort in party-ruled Karnataka on July 29 to fend off the alleged &quot;poaching&quot; attempts by BJP, saying the saffron party had also &quot;transported&quot; MLAs in the past.

He said it was wrong for the Congress party to think that anti-incumbency will work automatically against the Modi-led government in the states being ruled by the BJP in the elections.

&quot;We have to understand we are up against Mr Modi, Mr Shah. And they think differently, they act differently, and if we are not flexible in our approach, we will become irrelevant, frankly,&quot; the Congress leader said.

He said the Congress party must also recognise that India has changed. &quot;Old slogans don&#39;t work, old formulas don&#39;t work, old mantras don&#39;t work. India has changed, the Congress party has to change,&quot; he said.

The former union minister hoped that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi would end the uncertainty over his taking over as the Congress president to make the party ready for crucial electoral battles in key states in 2018 and the Lok Sabha polls scheduled a year later.

&quot;I think in all probability, Rahul Gandhi will take charge (as Congress president) before the end of 2017,&quot; he said.

The senior leader lamented that he had been proved wrong in the past about his prediction about Rahul&#39;s assuming charge of the top party job.

&quot;I thought it will happen in 2015, it didn&#39;t happen. I thought it will happen in 2016, it didn&#39;t happen. So I am the wrong person to ask this question. I feel that it may happen before the end of 2017,&quot; Ramesh said.

He said he had &quot;no&quot; indication about the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as Congress president.

&quot;I have only expectation. That&#39;s all. In 2018 and 2019 you will be busy with elections. State elections, national elections...And this type of thing ...Uncertainty is not good,&quot; and urged the Gandhi scion to &quot;finish it off.&quot;

Asked if there is anyone in the Congress party to give a strong challenge to Modi in 2019 elections, Ramesh said, &quot;I have always maintained that it is the collective strength of the Congress that will overcome Mr Modi not some individual magic wand&quot;.

&quot;It has to be a collective effort,&quot; he said.

Ramesh took potshots at party leaders who still behave as if the party is still in power.

&quot;The sultanate has gone, but we behave as if we are sultans still. We have to completely redo the way of thinking, the way of acting, the way of projecting, the way of communicating.&quot;

&quot;I think there is a lot of goodwill for the Congress, a lot of support for the Congress but people want to see a new Congress. They don&#39;t want to see old mantras, old slogans. We must recognise this is a big challenge. Huge challenge for us,&quot; he said.

He said Nitish Kumar&#39;s return to the Indian fold was a big setback for anti-BJP coalition in the country, describing it as a &quot;completely betrayal of the mandate&quot; given to the Mahagathbandhan by the people of Bihar.

Ramesh, who shares a personal rapport with Kumar, said, &quot;personally, I was aghast, astonished, deeply disappointed, but we have to move on and we don&#39;t have time.&quot;

Ramesh, representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, expressed hope that the &quot;revival&quot; of Congress will happen in Karnataka next year as it had happened 40 years ago in 1978 in Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat in the state which gave political rebirth to Indira Gandhi who faced defeat in Rae Bareli in the elections held after the Emergency.&nbsp;

Ramesh also said that business as usual approach will not work against Modi and Shah

The Congress is facing an "existential crisis", senior party leader Jairam Ramesh today said and pitched for "a collective effort" by party leaders to "overcome" the challenges it faced from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. Ramesh also said that business as usual approach will not work against Modi and Shah and advocated for a flexibility in approach to make Congress relevant. "Yes, the Congress party is facing a very serious crisis," Ramesh told PTI in an interview. He said the Congress had faced "electoral crisis" from 1996 to 2004 when it was out of power. The party had also faced "electoral crisis" in 1977 when it lost the elections held soon after the emergency. "But today, I would say that the Congress is facing an existential crisis. It is not an electoral crisis. The party really is in deep crisis," he said, when asked whether the threat of "poaching" of MLAs posed by the BJP in Gujarat had forced the party to transport its MLAs to Karnataka to ensure party leader Ahmed Patel's victory in the Rajya Sabha polls. He, however, justified the Gujarat Congress's decision to send 44 of its MLAs to a resort in party-ruled Karnataka on July 29 to fend off the alleged "poaching" attempts by BJP, saying the saffron party had also "transported" MLAs in the past. He said it was wrong for the Congress party to think that anti-incumbency will work automatically against the Modi-led government in the states being ruled by the BJP in the elections. "We have to understand we are up against Mr Modi, Mr Shah. And they think differently, they act differently, and if we are not flexible in our approach, we will become irrelevant, frankly," the Congress leader said. He said the Congress party must also recognise that India has changed. "Old slogans don't work, old formulas don't work, old mantras don't work. India has changed, the Congress party has to change," he said. The former union minister hoped that party vice-president Rahul Gandhi would end the uncertainty over his taking over as the Congress president to make the party ready for crucial electoral battles in key states in 2018 and the Lok Sabha polls scheduled a year later. "I think in all probability, Rahul Gandhi will take charge (as Congress president) before the end of 2017," he said. The senior leader lamented that he had been proved wrong in the past about his prediction about Rahul's assuming charge of the top party job. "I thought it will happen in 2015, it didn't happen. I thought it will happen in 2016, it didn't happen. So I am the wrong person to ask this question. I feel that it may happen before the end of 2017," Ramesh said. He said he had "no" indication about the appointment of Rahul Gandhi as Congress president. "I have only expectation. That's all. In 2018 and 2019 you will be busy with elections. State elections, national elections...And this type of thing ...Uncertainty is not good," and urged the Gandhi scion to "finish it off." Asked if there is anyone in the Congress party to give a strong challenge to Modi in 2019 elections, Ramesh said, "I have always maintained that it is the collective strength of the Congress that will overcome Mr Modi not some individual magic wand". "It has to be a collective effort," he said. Ramesh took potshots at party leaders who still behave as if the party is still in power. "The sultanate has gone, but we behave as if we are sultans still. We have to completely redo the way of thinking, the way of acting, the way of projecting, the way of communicating." "I think there is a lot of goodwill for the Congress, a lot of support for the Congress but people want to see a new Congress. They don't want to see old mantras, old slogans. We must recognise this is a big challenge. Huge challenge for us," he said. He said Nitish Kumar's return to the Indian fold was a big setback for anti-BJP coalition in the country, describing it as a "completely betrayal of the mandate" given to the Mahagathbandhan by the people of Bihar. Ramesh, who shares a personal rapport with Kumar, said, "personally, I was aghast, astonished, deeply disappointed, but we have to move on and we don't have time." Ramesh, representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, expressed hope that the "revival" of Congress will happen in Karnataka next year as it had happened 40 years ago in 1978 in Chikmagalur Lok Sabha seat in the state which gave political rebirth to Indira Gandhi who faced defeat in Rae Bareli in the elections held after the Emergency.

'The sultanate has gone, but we behave as if we are sultans still': Jairam Ramesh on Congress party

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Congress at crossroads again

Another Congressman joins chorus, Mani Shankar Aiyar says party 'needs to look at reality'

'The sultanate has gone, but we behave as if we are sultans still': Jairam Ramesh on Congress party