Rahul Gandhi resigns: Not a bad idea in the long run
Rahul Gandhi has confirmed that the Congress party will have to find a new president. It's evident that the grand old party is in deep crisis especially when assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand are scheduled later this year. Now, it is a herculean task for the Congress to rise from the ashes—drubbing in the Lok Sabha Polls 2019 proved to be an eye-opener—and give voters a reason to give the party a chance again.
But Rahul's resignation is not a bad idea if the party manages to chart out a long term strategy that goes beyond targetting BJP-RSS.
Don't paint a gloomy picture
A positive approach and vision for the future can help Congress party regain the touch with the masses. But this is easier said than done. Rahul Gandhi should avoid using expressions like "weakening of democracy" or suggest that the government machinery was used by BJP to win elections. This can't be the language of the leader who only recently had been claiming to throw Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government out of power. Rahul should accept that his internal feedback about the "popularity of Congress" during LS Polls 2019 was seriously flawed and consequent poll-strategy failed to strike a chord with the voters.
Now that Rahul Gandhi has decided not to take back his resignation, there is a need to have a vision, align all the party members and senior leaders, and go back to the people and raise issues that afflict common man, not the Congress party leaders. Real India exists beyond social media platforms and Congress leadership need to register emphatic presence on the ground. Social media should be used to amply the effort, but social media can't be the only effort.
Don't fight a lonely battle
Rahul has claimed in the social media post that many times he was left alone to fight BJP-RSS. This is true to some extent but the same allegations have long been levelled by party leaders against Rahul Gandhi—though not openly—that he was influenced by his core group and many decisions like election strategy for Lok Sabha Polls 2019 was devised by that group, ignoring the suggestions of senior party leaders, a few of them were not even consulted. Yes, Rahul Gandhi made his presence felt like never before during the LS polls, and now is the time to build upon that reputation of being a serious contender. But for that to happen, he must pay heed to different voices in the party.
Time to get rid of Namdar tag
BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi regularly attack Rahul Gandhi for his Gandhi lineage and the family's hold on the Congress party. Now, Rahul has come out of the 'comfort zone', and accepted responsibility for the LS polls defeat. He is venturing to prove that he enjoys immense support in the party and doesn't require 'party president' tag to establish his status in the Congress. After resignation, Rahul will get more time to interact with the party workers and nurture the party at the grass root level.
An opportunity to become an alternative
Rahul interaction with the youth during college and school interactions, road-shows have surely attracted a lot of attention. He is youthful and willing to venture in a danger zone where people can question him and frame him into saying something silly. But the fact that he is available and confident of facing the volley of questions from anyone and everyone makes him connect with the audience.
As long as Rahul is willing to move on and open to taking risks, he can hope to turn the tide in his favour. Indian voters always give credit for making sincere efforts to bring about the change, something Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows better than most.
