Is there no one to save Congress from deathbed?

The Congress party has been losing its clout and opportunities to gain strength as a major Opposition party due to lack of effective leadership at the national level. It is now on the verge of losing power in Madhya Pradesh and no one can be blamed for that except the AICC. Right from day one, the party had created trouble and refused to listen to the inner voice of the youngsters. The party had never focussed its attention on the internal happenings and there was no guiding force which could give directions to the State units and galvanise them. It is the Congress which has to blame itself for whatever is happening in Madhya Pradesh. The biggest mistake it had committed - whether it be in Madhya Pradesh or in Rajasthan - is to pick up old horses as Chief Ministers, ignoring the young Turks. The party which is over hundred years old refused to ask the septuagenarian leaders to work as advisors to the party and handover the leadership to the young brigade. Naturally this has created trouble in the party. In the initial stages, the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as the topmost leader was seen as an indication of the party infusing young blood to give a new and youthful direction to the party which was in a state of decaying. But now it seems it had lost that opportunity. It has not lost just an opportunity but also is losing its young team. When it was thought that the BJP graph was sliding down, the tremors in Congress-ruled State in the heart of the country's map and leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia joining the saffron party have come as booster shot to the BJP. It was shocking to see the arguments of the grand old leader of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh who could not rejuvenate the party in the State, blaming the BJP and alleging that it was fishing in troubled waters. Well, that's precisely what every political party does. Even the Congress did it many times in the past. The Congress should first introspect as to why its fortress is collapsing.

The BJP, which came to power at the Centre in 2014 had been successful in keeping the Opposition under check. The ruling parties the TRS in Telangana and the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh had almost decimated the Opposition parties in their respective States. Their voice has been stifled. (We are not supporting this action of the ruling parties in the two Telugu states, since in a democracy, the Opposition has an important part to play). But the actions of the Congress under the leadership of Kamalnath in Madhya Pradesh resulted in cutting the tree branch on which they were sitting. The young Turks of the party were humiliated and ignored. Focus in the State was shifted from governance and other issues and allegations are that corruption is reaching a new high. The party does not have full-fledged high command to review what is happening in its State units. In fact, since 2014 when it received a major drubbing, the party had failed to enthuse its cadre in any of the 29 States. It has been groping in a directionless manner and the ground under its feet has been fast slipping like lose sand. It was surprising that the party's senior leaders did nothing to take control of the deteriorating situation. The only reaction from Rahul Gandhi so far is that Madhya Pradesh virus will not reach Maharashtra. He should understand that the virus has already reached Rajasthan and if he pretends to be a yogi and sits with eyes closed, there is no guarantee that it will not hit Maharashtra as well. It is unfortunate that Congress party has become rudderless, visionless and protectionless.