Rahul letting Congress remain a dud in AP

As nouns, the difference between experiment and experimentation is that experiment is a test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried; while, experimentation is the act of experimenting i.e., practice by experiment.

Coming to AP, Rahul’s experimentation here goes to show either he is ignorant of ground realities in the residual State after the most unscientific bifurcation under UPA-II or he is just not bothered about reviving the party here. If the APCC leaders feel let down by the apathy being shown by Rahul Gandhi, one cannot really blame them.

In fact, the same could be said of Telangana, too, where his party is struggling to cobble up a united face. It seems nothing has changed in the Congress after Rahul's takeover of the party as its President. He is as inaccessible as Sonia Gandhi was to the saner voices in the party and is said to be guided by certain vested interests. Credit should go to the APCC leaders who doggedly worked on the ground to retain a semblance of their presence in a State that chucked them out in the last elections.

Maintaining and sustaining party cadres costs a lot and those who work for it naturally expect some reward. In AP here is where the Congress is running into trouble. Emphasis on dalits - treating them as a vote bank - is an old practice of the Congress. But over reliance on leaders from this segment is leading to a lot of discomfiture among others.

It is surprising to note that Rahul Gandhi who is attempting to revive the party should ignore the warnings. The party seems to be oblivious to the subtle shift in power equations within the APCC with the advent of Oommen Chandy, which has resulted in certain under currents that encourage only a segment of leadership.

The intervention of this segment which is being encouraged is at the cost of those who have thrown their everything into the political struggle. Dalits in AP have no love lost for the Congress as they have better alternative in the TDP and the YSRCP. Congress' fortunes are equally linked to the BCs' and OBCs' and upper castes in AP just as they are in Telangana.

Any undue importance to the paper tigers will be out of context in the prevailing circumstances. More so when the party is struggling to retain its toe-hold in Andhra Pradesh and is battling to take on the ruling party in Telangana. Its dilemma is understandable in the two Telugu States as it is pitted against formidable rivals and past masters in the game of politics.

A uniform pan-Indian policy will not suit its interests, particularly in States like AP where it has been decimated. Rahul should remember that the adage "what is good for the goose is good for gander" does not hold true of AP and Telangana. Non-performers are not assets to the party, but impediments as they seek to thrive on their dubious connections.