Notwithstanding the battering in recently-heldelections to four states, the Congress high command is not quite taking highlythoughtful decisions. Certainly not in the case of Punjab which goes to pollsearly next year.
The big question is: why did it not occurto the high command, especially at a time when Rahul Gandhi is due to beelevated to take full charge of the party as its president, that positioningsenior leader Kamal Nath as Punjab in-charge would be suicidal for theCongress? The move reflected a lack of political foresight, if not prudence.
Irrespective of Kamal Nath's and otherparty leaders' denials that he was involved in leading mobs in Delhi during the1984 anti-Sikh riots, making the seasoned MP from Chhindwara the minder forPunjab was not just a blunder. It is unclear who in the Congress leadershiptook the decision whose fallout, in the form of protests and insinuations fromrival parties such as the Akali Dal, the BJP and the AAP, forced Kamal Nath tohastily resign from the post.
The Quintessential Loyalist
Nath is a loyalist and, unlike many othersin the party, has unquestioningly and unwaveringly stuck with the Gandhis andthe party. But that did not come in the way of Congress' former Rajya Sabha MPfrom Punjab, M S Gill, to outspokenly describe as “heartless” Nath'sappointment as Punjab in-charge.
In his letter to Sonia, Nath has taken much pain to explain that neither the Nanavati Commission of Inquiry nor a subsequent debate in Parliament could point fingers at him for his alleged role in the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.
The allegations against Nath suggest that heled mobs outside Rakabganj gurudwara, though the MP has defended himself in thepast by claiming that his presence at the spot in October 1984 was primarilyaimed at protecting Sikhs from the murderous mob.
Popular Perception
Nath has claimed in his resignation letterthat never in his long political career has any stigma “attached to my name.”And yet, the popular perception is that Nath, alongside other party colleaguessuch as Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, Lalit Maken and H K L Bhagat, played somerole, howsoever minor, in stoking violence in the days following IndiraGandhi's assassination.
The fact that Nath's resignation letterwas accepted without much ado is reflective of the Congress leadership's suddenrealisation, forced by the protests against his appointment as generalsecretary in charge of Punjab, that retaining him in the post, with electionsto the state assembly scheduled early next year, could cost the party dearly.
Testing Time
The Congress is certainly not in acomfortable position in Punjab, even though there are signs that there isconsiderable anti-incumbency against the Akali Dal-BJP government led by ParkashSingh Badal. The AAP's decision to contest all seats and its aggressivecampaigning across Punjab is an additional headache for the Congress's stateunit chief Captain Amarinder Singh.
It is in view of these two factors thatthe party high command availed the services of election strategist PrashantKishor who, on his part, has expressed displeasure at the manner in whichNath's predecessor Shakeel Ahmed, sought to block and question his moves aimedat strengthening the organisational capacity in the state.
Who Takes the Blame?
The Nath fiasco has certainly put thespotlight on the Gandhis and the Congress Working Committee. While the Gandhishave always been shielded by the CWC and sundry party MPs from accepting blamefor all electoral and other leadership-related misfortunes, the botch-up overNath has been the most daft in recent times. How could this little detail, nomatter how small, escape the attention of the leadership? The Kamal Nathappointment reflects a political destituteness in the Congress, especially whenit is in crying need for effective leadership that is capable of accomplishingelectoral victories.
We may never know whether the Gandhis or the CWC took the decision on Kamal Nath. We may also never know whether the decision was arrived at after consultations with Kishor. But the damage has been done, especially when the AAP, which, after coming to power in Delhi had threatened to reopen anti-Sikh riots cases, has now been handed an issue that it will exploit fully.
Nath has claimed in his resignation letterthat the “canard (that he was involved in the anti-Sikh riots) is thereforenothing but a cheap political ploy to gain traction ahead of the elections.” InIndia, electoral campaigns are like open season. Most parties wait for cock-ups amongrivals to capitalise on. While the Congress has committed many since itscrushing defeat in 2014, should we now await the next?
Also read:
Ten Things Rahul Gandhi Could Do to Revive The Congress Farm
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