How correct is the preference for Mamta Banerjee over Rahul Gandhi, confusion continues in I.N.D.I.A regarding leadership!

Leadership selection is a big issue in Indian politics. The opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ is looking for a strong leader to compete with Prime Minister Modi. Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are not considered suitable. Some parties are demanding to make Mamta Banerjee the leader. Actually, the performance of Congress has been consistently poor.

Authored by Swapan Dasgupta | Edited by Ashok Upadhyay

• There is no transparent process for the election of leaders in the political parties of India
• The emerging confusion regarding the leadership of the opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ is in front of everyone
• The opposition has failed to present an alternative to the leader who can compete with PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: There is a big shortcoming in the democracy of India. There is no sure and transparent way of how the leaders of political parties should be elected. The ‘high command’ dominates almost all the parties. It is considered responsible for suppressing the voice of the grassroots level. The tradition of dynasty has also mixed in it. Because of this, democracy is not able to reach its full potential. The emerging complications regarding the leadership of the opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ are a recent example of this.

The question was bound to arise as to who would be the national face to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ‘INDIA’ alliance tried to present the results of the Lok Sabha elections as a lack of confidence in the government. But there was a huge difference in the votes of the main parties of both the alliances. This could not be ignored. Common people feel that ‘INDIA’ could not present any strong face to challenge Modi. Mallikarjun Kharge or Rahul Gandhi, no one was considered suitable for this task. However, both have their own supporters.

The leadership crisis deepened further

The defeat of the Congress in the Haryana assembly elections and the poor performance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra deepened the leadership crisis of the opposition alliance. In the parliamentary elections, the ‘INDIA’ alliance had performed well in both these states. From this, it was concluded that the public’s inclination has again turned towards the BJP. This is not entirely true. Omar Abdullah won in Jammu and Kashmir and Hemant Soren in Jharkhand. Both are prominent leaders of the ‘INDIA’ alliance. But the Congress’ performance was disappointing in all the states. That is why some regional parties demanded that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee be made the leader of ‘INDIA’. This is a signal to the Congress that its trust in Rahul Gandhi is misplaced.

What is Mamata’s existence outside Bengal?

It is not that Mamata is a crowd-puller outside her state. Nor is there any evidence that her rule in Kolkata over the last 13 years has been inspiring. Modi used his tenure as Chief Minister to establish himself as an efficient administrator. Mamata’s long tenure did not improve Bengal’s economic condition. Muslim support and coercive tactics are behind her spectacular electoral success. Fortunately, this formula cannot work in most parts of India.

Many questions before ‘INDIA’

The Trinamool Congress does not have influence outside Bengal. Mamata is not considered a threat to the leaders of other regional parties. The Congress does not get this concession because it has national claims. It remembers the time when it had a strong national presence. Mamata being nominally acceptable to other regional parties is one thing, but the bigger question is whether she has any independent appeal among ambitious voters. If the ‘INDIA’ alliance feels that its leader should be adept at handling the differences that emerge in a coalition with different ideologies, Mamata may fit the role. But if the opposition feels that its shortcoming is in not being able to project someone who can match Modi’s charisma, Mamata has a long way to go.

Why no trust in Rahul Gandhi?

Rahul Gandhi had a good chance to emerge as a natural alternative to Modi by leveraging his position as the leader of the opposition. Unfortunately for the Congress and its allies, this did not happen despite persistent efforts to project him as a thoughtful and youthful leader. One possible reason could be Rahul’s over-enthusiasm. He should consider whether waving a copy of the Constitution and accusing Modi of collusion are appropriate topics for every occasion. Perhaps he should learn from one of his disastrous interviews before the 2014 elections, when all his answers to questions seemed to revolve around women’s empowerment.

Congress needs to introspect

Accusations of being influenced too quickly had been levelled against Rajiv Gandhi and may now come back to haunt Rahul too. The left-wing leanings of the US Democratic Party have influenced Rahul’s foreign friends, with whom he often mingles. But whether the common man of India is of the same ideology is something the Congress needs to consider. Indeed, it needs to consider why the regional parties in the ‘INDIA’ alliance think the Congress is an impediment to their national ambitions.

Courtesy : Hindi News