Following the just concluded state elections in India and the drubbing that the Congress party received in most of the states, there have been calls for the party to introspect. Party president Sonia Gandhi told the media that there is no problem with the leadership, but there were too many leaders. She added that in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the choice of candidates was wrong.
While it is good to look back and be frank about the reasons for the loss, it is also important to look ahead and plan for the next election. Much was expected of Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh and when the results did not reflect the effort that he put in, people began asking whether he is indeed Prime Ministerial material. Questions have also been raised about dynastic politics. But this is not the preserve of the Congress party. We find father-son-family politics flourishing in many states — Goa, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to name a few. So the focus should not be on who the next Prime Minister will be, but on whether the Congress as a party will be able to take the country forward.
The task before the Congress Party is enormous. First, it needs to convince itself and the people that it has a definite plan to improve the lot of the people and compete in a fast-changing world. Second, it must do all it takes to root out corruption from within the party and its allies, and show that it is serious when it comes to making the country a corruption-free state. Third, the party must be willing to take bold steps in governance. It must pull up its socks and stem the rot before it is too late.
The next two years before the general elections will be crucial for the party. In the end, it will be the people who decide whether India's grand old party can deliver and take the country ahead.
