The Congress, once the colossus of Indian politics, has degenerated into a family-run enterprise. Its unrelenting obsession with the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has not only stunted the evolution of the grand old party but also betrayed the contributions of its meritorious leaders.
Slowly, the Congress has become a party where sycophancy towards the Gandhi family takes precedence over competence and national interest, pushing it to the brink of irrelevance.
A Legacy Of Disrespect
The Congress’s disdain for leaders outside the Gandhi family is an open secret. The record should be put straight.
The treatment meted out to eminent leaders like former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and PV Narasimha Rao, and former President Pranab Mukherjee, underscores the party’s endeavour to preserve the myth of the infallibility of the Gandhi family. These towering figures, despite their immense contributions to the nation and the party, were systematically sidelined, their legacies intentionally downplayed.
Take, for example, Dr Manmohan Singh, an economist of international repute and a two-term Prime Minister, who passed away on December 26, 2024.
Under his able finance ministership, in 1991, India’s economic destiny was reshaped with aplomb. At a time when the nation teetered on the brink of economic collapse, Singh dismantled decades of protectionism and ushered in an era of liberalisation.
As Prime Minister, Singh spearheaded landmark initiatives that profoundly impacted India’s socioeconomic landscape. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), brought during his tenure, became a lifeline for millions in rural India, guaranteeing 100-day wage employment to every rural household. Equally transformative was the Right to Information Act, which empowered ordinary citizens to hold the government accountable. Under his leadership, India signed the civil nuclear deal with the US, a transition from an era of nuclear threats and confrontations to one of peaceful, constructive cooperation in the use of nuclear energy.
Today, the Congress is taking shots at the Centre over Singh’s funeral and memorial, but, during his prime ministership, he was deliberately reduced to a mere figurehead. His contribution was attributed to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s so-called guidance. By allowing rival parties and the public to paint Singh as a “puppet prime minister”, the Congress sought to undermine his authority and ensured that the spotlight remained firmly on the Gandhi family. Singh’s silence, a hallmark of his dignity, was exploited to mask the family’s political interference.
If Singh was humiliated, former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao faced outright disgrace. The former PM, along with Singh as finance minister, successfully laid the foundation for the Indian growth story. Under Rao’s prime ministership, India undertook sweeping economic reforms to address a balance-of-payments crisis and allowed foreign direct investment (FDI) in several key sectors, leading to the inflow of foreign capital and integration of India into the global economy. His tenure as PM laid the groundwork for India’s IT revolution.
Yet, Rao’s pivotal role in transforming India’s economy was conveniently ignored by the Congress, which feared that acknowledging his contributions would dilute the Gandhi family’s legacy.
Such was the disdain that, when he passed away in 2004, the Congress leadership refused to allow his body into the party headquarters. As if that were not enough, the Congress leadership ensured that Rao's cremation did not take place in New Delhi but was instead conducted in his native Hyderabad. Such petty acts underscore the Congress’s vindictiveness.
Pranab Mukherjee, another stalwart, faced a similar fate. A political titan with decades of experience, Mukherjee was repeatedly overlooked for the prime minister’s job despite being the most qualified candidate. His political acumen and administrative skills, which could have steered the Congress to greater heights, were seen as a threat to the Gandhi family’s dominance. Even after he became India’s President, Mukherjee’s stature was only grudgingly acknowledged by the Congress. When he passed away in 2020, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) did not even bother to convene a condolence meeting.
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Dynasty Over Democracy
The Congress’s dynastic obsession is a blatant betrayal of the party’s so-called principles of democracy.
Rao’s economic reforms, Singh’s governance, and Mukherjee’s statesmanship could have been the Congress’s crown jewels. Instead, these achievements were either downplayed by the party or appropriated to bolster the Gandhi family’s image.
Forget dynamic leadership, the atmosphere of sycophancy has left the Congress bereft of fresh ideas. From India’s dominant political force, the Congress has been relegated to being an electoral underdog, struggling to remain relevant in India’s political landscape.
Saswat Panigrahi is a senior multimedia journalist.
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