Bihar Verdict Exposes Congress's Deep-Rooted Problems
The recently concluded Bihar assembly elections have delivered a stunning verdict that has left political pundits and exit polls surprised. The combination led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar secured a landslide victory that few anticipated. The results have particularly exposed the deepening crisis within the Congress party, which suffered a humiliating defeat despite high expectations.
Political commentator Tavleen Singh, who spent hours glued to television screens watching the results unfold, noted that the outcome was particularly devastating for the Congress. The party's performance in Bihar continues its losing streak across Indian states, raising serious questions about its future as a viable national opposition.
The Grand Old Party's Grassroots Collapse
According to Singh's analysis, the fundamental problem facing the Congress is the complete withering of its grassroots organization across India. What was once the mighty political party that led India's freedom movement has now been reduced to a gathering of sycophants and courtiers in Delhi, completely disconnected from ground realities.
The election campaign in Bihar had generated mixed reports. Some suggested that Nitish Kumar's advanced age and occasional confusing statements might work against him. Others believed that Tejashwi Yadav had successfully shed his 'jungle raj' legacy and emerged as a credible alternative leader. There were even whispers of a Congress revival, fueled by Rahul Gandhi's 'vote chori' yatra.
However, the actual results told a different story altogether. The Congress suffered such a comprehensive defeat that both Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seemed to vanish from public view when the results were declared, leading to criticism about their tendency to disappear during political crises.
Leadership Failure and Missing Introspection
Singh emphasizes that the Congress leadership must conduct sincere introspection about why the party has lost nearly every significant election since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014. The recent defeats in Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, and now Bihar demonstrate a pattern of failure that cannot be blamed on election theft.
The fundamental issue, as Singh sees it, is that Rahul Gandhi has failed to raise political issues that genuinely matter to voters or effectively communicate his message to them. Despite his well-publicized efforts to connect with common people - harvesting rice, working as a cobbler, carrying construction materials, or jumping into village ponds - these activities haven't translated into electoral success.
Singh questions whether there's any real purpose behind these exercises if they don't lead to new economic and political ideas that could revive the party. The concern is that these activities are primarily designed for television cameras rather than representing genuine political engagement.
The Way Forward for Congress
The political analyst suggests that if any other political leader had led India's oldest party to defeat in more than 50 major elections, they would have been forced to resign. However, as a 'political prince,' Rahul Gandhi faces no such accountability.
For genuine revival, Singh recommends that the Congress leadership should bring together the handful of real politicians remaining in the party and ask them to prepare honest assessments of what has gone wrong in their respective states. This could potentially help revive the party's dead organizational roots.
The absence of a strong opposition at both national and state levels poses a significant danger to Indian democracy. While the Congress finally managed to win enough parliamentary seats to make Rahul Gandhi the Leader of the Opposition after the last Lok Sabha elections, the party began behaving as if it had already thrown Modi out of power, rather than focusing on the hard work needed for genuine revival.
Unless the Congress party acknowledges its grassroots collapse and addresses its leadership crisis, it faces the risk of continuing its electoral decline, ultimately threatening the health of India's democratic system that depends on a robust opposition.
