Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 27: The former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha and one of the senior most leaders of the Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad is clearly emerging as the dissidents’ choice to take over the leadership of the party.
The group of 23 dissidents nicknamed G-23 who had virtually thrown a challenge to the party president Sonia Gandhi last year seeking for a “full time and visible leadership,” expressed concern at the party “getting weak” day by day and wondered why the party was reluctant to take the services of an “experienced” Azad, who the leaders claimed, knew the political situation in every district in the country like the back of his hand.
They expressed shock that the party made no effort to retain Azad as a member of the Rajya Sabha from some state and allowed him to retire last month. It would be the first time that Jammu and Kashmir would be without a member in the upper house, they pointed out.
After patiently waiting for months for things to happen, the dissidents convened a public event hey termed as “Shanti Sammelan” at Jammu on Saturday to take stock of the party situation in the face of continuous defeats in most of the elections and with elections due in four states and the union territory of Puducherry in March-April.
As members of the G-23 – senior leaders who have questioned the Gandhis’ leadership style – shared a stage and calls to strengthen the party before polls in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Assam. The meeting also comes days after the BJP lashed out over Rahul Gandhi’s remark about Kerala voters. In August last year a number of Congress leaders including Azad, Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and others triggered a rift in the party after writing to interim chief Sonia Gandhi, to ask for “full time” and “visible” leadership. Last month it was decided a new chief would be elected in June, after the forthcoming elections, but this was after calls for immediate organisational polls were overruled.
Addressing the gathering, leader after leader expressed concern that the Congress was getting weak. “The truth is that we see the Congress getting weak. That is why we have gathered. We gathered earlier too and we have to strengthen the party together,” Sibal said. “Our voice is for the betterment of the party. It should be strengthened… We have seen the good days… do not want to see it weakening as we become older,” Anand Sharma said.
The Uttar Pradesh chief of the Congress Raj Babbar, a noted Bollywood face, gave a different connotation for “G-23” as the group was called. “People say ‘G23’, I say Gandhi 23. With the belief, resolve and thinking of Mahatma Gandhi, this nation’s law and Constitution was formed. Congress is standing strongly to take these forward. ‘G23′ want Congress to be strong,” actor-politician Raj Babbar said.
Apart from Sibal, Sharma and Babbar, the group that took to the stage on Saturday included current Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The differences cropping up with the party leadership is clearly visible from the stand leaders like Kapil Sibal took on Rahul Gandhi’s recent controversial remark about “north-south divide” in voting pattern. Rahul Gandhi’s remark about difference between the UP and Kerala voters enabled the BJP to launch a scathing attack on the Congress “prince” accused of being trying to create a north-south divide in the country. Unlike in the past, Sibal refused to defend Gandhi and instead made guarded criticism of the remark. “I’m nobody to comment on what he said. He said it and he can explain in what context he said…We must respect electors in the country and not denigrate their wisdom…”
It also brought out a nuanced response from Azad. “Be it J&K or Ladakh, we respect all religions, people and castes. We respect everyone equally… that is our strength and we will continue with this,” Azad said, in comments seen underlining the dissenting leaders’ resolve for change in the Congress.
The party’s official response to the gathering too was not very encouraging for unity. “When elections are happening in five states, these leaders could have been in these states to strengthen the Congress…,” Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, before adding that the party was “proud of them.”
These will be the first major elections since the party slumped to defeat in Bihar, where it won just 19 of the 70 seats it contested, and potentially cost itself and its partner ally Rashtriya Janata Dal, which won 75 seats, a chance at forming the government.
In August last year a number of Congress leaders – Sibal and Azad among them – wrote a letter to interim chief Sonia Gandhi, asking for introspection over continued poor performances in elections, and for “full time and visible” leadership to take the party forward. After waiting for four months, the dissenters could meet Sonia Gandhi in December while last month it was decided that election process for a new chief would be taken up in June after the coming Assembly elections.
However, this was after the G-23’s call for immediate polls was overruled. “What is happening is a clear violation of agreement at CWC meeting in December last year… there are no signs of any reforms or election,” a senior G-23 leader said.
Expressing concern over weakening of the party, Kapil Sibal said he was saddened by the decision to allow party veteran Azad to retire from Parliament and that the Congress could have used his experience better.
“He (Azad) is one such leader who knows the ground reality of Congress in every district of every state. We were saddened when we realised that he is being freed from Parliament. We didn’t want him to go from Parliament…I can’t understand why Congress is not using his experience,” he said.
The Congress leader said he and his colleagues have gathered in Jammu to address issues that the party is facing now. “The truth is that we see Congress party getting weak. That is why we have gathered here. We had gathered together earlier too and we have to strengthen the party together,” he said.
Echoing Sibal, Anand Sharma said, “Congress has weakened in the last decade. Our voice is for the betterment of the party. It should be strengthened everywhere once again. New generation should connect (to party). We’ve seen good days of Congress. We don’t want to see it weakening as we become older. We will save the Congress.”
He continued, “I have not given anyone the right to tell me if we are people of Congress or not. Nobody has that right. We will build the party. We will strengthen it. We believe in the strength and unity of Congress.”
He added, “All of us have covered a very long distance to reach where we are today. Nobody among us has come through the window, all of us have walked through the door. We have come through the students’ movement and the youth movement.”