Raging infighting may cost Congress dearly in Rajasthan

There is nothing like preventing breeding of mosquitoes; problem arises only when they get wings, say scientists. This applies equally well in politics, too. Political parties have forgotten to draw the line between party and government and once in power, the ruling party tends to ignore the cadre, and in many cases, CMs also hold the post of party presidents. As a result, they hardly have any time for party work and their urge to control everything leads to breeding of mosquitoes (read dissension) in the party.

We had seen how the Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Punjab last year. A repeat of the same appears to be waiting in the wings in Rajasthan which will go to polls in next six months. The bitter infighting between Navjot Sidhu who was the state party chief and the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh triggered the journey towards the defeat of Congress party. Congress removed Amarinder Singh and replaced him with Charanjit Singh Channi, which demoralised Sidhu who was aspiring to become the chief minister.

Similar situation is now brewing in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The difference in the two states is that while in Rajasthan anti-Congress winds are blowing, in Madhya Pradesh, an anti-BJP mood seems to be developing. This, however, may not help Congress much as AAP is trying to make inroads into Congress bastions.

Pilot and Gehlot have been at loggerheads since 2020 when Pilot threatened to walk out of Congress with his followers. Some fire-fighting exercise by AICC leadership temporarily doused the fire but he continued to nurse the grouse that Gehlot refused to hand over power to him. The failure of the Congress party to set its house in order even after three years is likely to prove nemesis for it.

The Marwar region in Western Rajasthan is dotted with sandy tracts of the Thar desert and is characterised by a harsh terrain. Here, the political terrain too is as unpredictable as the shifting of desert sand. The people there affirm they have lost faith in Congress. "Kamjor party," and it has lost direction. It lacks leadership and Rahul Gandhi is unable to revive it, they opine.

"Mukhyamantri Gehlot ji achhe aadmi hain. Development bhi kiya lekin Ab ki baar BJP Sarkar," they say without mincing words. Reason is two-fold. One, Rajasthan's political history shows that no party had come to power for the second successive term. Like in Tamil Nadu, people keep shifting their choice between the BJP and the Congress. At the same time, they also don't trust AAP. Two, the failure of the Congress party to contain infighting and its continued failure at the national level also seems to have disappointed the Rajasthanis.

The so-called change of leadership from Sonia Gandhi to Mallikharjun Kharge has not created any hope in the people. They say it is just an eyewash and Sonia and Rahul continue to be the main power centres controlling the party.

"Kya badal hai? Sub kuch vaisa hi hai. Yeh party tho khatam hogayi," is the reaction of even people like auto drivers and cab drivers. The recent five-hour fast in Jaipur by Sachin Pilot against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's failure to properly investigate charges of corruption against former CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia of the BJP also did not go down well with the people. Vashundhara Raje is still highly revered by the people.