NEW DELHI: Internal bickering within the Congress party continues to dent India’s oldest political party in various states much to the chagrin of the central leadership of the party.
Factional fighting in adjoining northern states of Punjab and Haryana is threatening to thwart party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s plans to revive the party after the disastrous results in last general elections followed by a wipe out in various states.
Two party stalwarts in Haryana, namely former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the state unit president Ashok Tanwar are working at cross-purposes publicly. It came to the fore on Wednesday when the two leaders announced their separate programmes to connect with the masses who rejected the party in October assembly elections, preferring rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Congress party which ruled under Hooda for a decade.
While Tanwar announced a foot march from Ambala town starting May 29, Hooda has scheduled a mass contact drive in Jind district on May 31. Interestingly, the common aim is to expose the seven month old BJP government, led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Hooda is trying to rope in some central leaders of the party for his May 31 programme.
Hooda and Tanwar have been at loggerheads since Tanwar was appointed as the state unit president in February last year, replacing Hooda’s confidante Phool Chand Mullana. The leaders locked horns over selection of Congress party candidates as they submitted separate lists to the central leadership of the party for October assembly polls.
They have since failed to see eye to eye, hurting a badly damaged party further. They brought their fight to the national capital last month at a farmers’ rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi. Hooda supporters came with pink turban tied on their heads while Tanwar as the state unit president had instructed the state unit workers to don party’s tricolour cap. Hooda supporters hooted Tanwar when he addressed the rally much to the amusement of the central leaders.
The Hooda-Tanwar fight is in line with a similar tussle being witnessed in neighbouring Punjab where former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh and the state unit president Partap Singh Bajwa are at constant loggerheads.
Punjab is due to elect its new state legislative assembly in January 2017. The Congress party has reasons to fancy its chances in the state bordering Pakistan after a series of controversies surrounding the Akali Dal-BJP government in the state which has been in power since 2007.
Congress party insiders say what is on show is basically clash of two generations. Rahul Gandhi is named fellow youth Tanwar and Bajwa as state unit presidents which was not welcomed by the old guard.
“Both Tanwar and Bajwa are closer to Rahul Gandhi while Capt Singh and Hooda are supposed to be closer to Sonia Gandhi. The task is cut out for Rahul Gandhi to create a proper balance between the two generations,” a senior Congress party leader said.
Capt Singh had recently spoken against Rahul Gandhi insisting that the party must stick with Sonia Gandhi as its national president amid speculations that Sonia may have over reigns of the party to her son Rahul soon.
Sources also added that besides Rahul Gandhi’s tours in various states, the party is in deep slumber and has become dysfunctional. They cited example of two politically crucial states Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where the party is in bad shape.
Bihar is due to go to assembly polls in September-October and the party is totally dependent upon the ongoing seat sharing talks between the state’s ruling Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Their talks have run aground and they may at the most offer not more than a dozen seats to the Congress party in the 243-seat assembly.
The party is in equally bad shape in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, due to go to polls in early 2017. The Congress party won only two seats in last year’s general elections form Uttar Pradesh with only Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi emerging victorious.
