Will Rahul Gandhi shun indecisiveness to revamp Congress?

New Delhi: It has been almost four months since the Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Haryana and the party is yet to fix the responsibility for the unexpected loss.

The Congress leadership is also undecided on naming the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power for a record third consecutive term with a comprehensive win in the 2024 assembly elections.

The party had given the command and the management of the polls to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and he failed to deliver yet again.

This writer had written in NewsDrum in August last year that “Hooda alone cannot win Haryana for Congress” as it needed to put up a united show and not rely on just one leader.

Till the elections, the Congress in Haryana was dominated, dictated and run by Hooda and his son Deepender despite their failure to win back the state from the BJP since 2014.

The grand old party had won the 2005 assembly elections with a massive mandate of 67 out of a total of 90 seats under the combined leadership of former chief minister Bhajan Lal, Choudhary Birender Singh, Kumari Selja and Hooda. Though Bhajan Lal was its undeclared face during the elections and was likely to take over the reins of the government, the party in a surprise move named Hooda as the chief minister.

In 2009, the Congress advanced the assembly elections by a few months to capitalise on the goodwill it had earned during the Lok Sabha polls held a few months earlier when it returned to power with a better performance than in 2004.

However, the party, with Hooda as its face, fell short of the majority mark of 46 seats, registering victory in just 40 constituencies.

Hooda managed to form the government with the help of some independents and five defectors of the Haryana Janhit Congress, formed by Bhajan Lal after he parted ways with the grand old party in 2007.

That was 16 years ago. In the 2024 elections, Hoodas were battered by the voters for trying to play the Jats versus non-Jats card. They had hijacked the poll management and did not cede any space to any other leader. The defeat of the Congress was certainly a loss of face for them.

But that has not prompted any action against them so far by the leadership, mainly Rahul Gandhi who, and not party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, is visibly calling the shots in the Congress through his proxy KC Venugopal.

The grand old party needs to shun its indecisiveness and status quoist approach to be able to give fight to the mighty BJP. Congress workers are eagerly waiting for the delayed and much-needed organisational reshuffle. A swift action to fix the responsibility for any electoral loss is imperative to galvanise the cadre.

Congress leaders and workers have been hearing for months now that large-scale organisational changes are going to take place in the party but Venugopal is apparently sitting over the list for reasons best known to him.

In the case of Haryana, Rahul Gandhi needs to send a strong message that the Congress can no longer run on the whims and fancies of Hoodas and appoint a new state chief and the LoP with the clear task of reviving the party.

In majority of states, there have been no state committees for years now and wherever they exist those are defunct. This is a primary requirement for any political party to remain functional, fighting fit and connected to the people in any state.

Coming to general secretaries, in-charges and other office bearers, only a few names keep playing the musical chairs. Except for Venugopal's coterie, no new face with fresh ideas finds a place in the party's organisational structure. 

There are many key states where a full-fledged general secretary or an in-charge hasn't been appointed for months now. Three general secretaries -- Jitendra Singh, Deepa Dasmunsi and Ghulam Ahmed Mir -- are holding additional charges of states. Similarly, the leadership is yet to take a call on the resignation submitted by Deepak Babaria after the Haryana loss.

Such indecisiveness is hurting the Congress and it is high time Rahul Gandhi realises this and acts accordingly.