NEW DELHI: “Those who do not help in party work, need to rest and those who do not fulfil their responsibilities must retire … ” Strong words from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to party men at the Ahmedabad AICC session. But the big question is: Will the Congress leadership walk the talk?
Well, the track record till now does not inspire confidence. The Congress has been on a steady decline since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has lost several elections. However, the accountability for these losses have been rarely fixed.
Former Congressman Sanjay Jha, while welcoming the move, feels until and unless accountability and responsibility is seen at the very top all these statements, even though well intended, will not inspire the workers into believing that the leadership will walk the talk.
“The common workers of the party, who work very hard in every election, have not seen any body being held accountable when they fail to deliver,” says Sanjay Jha.
“The Congress lost in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and failed to do well in Delhi. But the workers of the party have not seen the party take any action against those responsible for these failures. There hasn’t been any consequence for those who were given a responsibility but failed,” he adds.
In Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, the Congress relied heavily on the state leadership – Kamal Nath and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The party lost in both the states, but no visible action was taken against these regional heavyweights. In Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath rode roughshod over not just the party’s central leadership but also its allies. Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, which wanted an alliance with the Congress, was spurned by Kamal Nath leading to tensions between the two parties.
In Haryana, the Congress literally stole defeat from the jaws of victory but Hooda still continues to call the shots. The fact that the Congress failed to appoint a leader of opposition in the state assembly even months after the elections speaks volumes about the influence that some regional leaders hold on the party and the intent of the leadership to take corrective actions against them.
As Congress mulls the way ahead, Kharge’s strong warning to Congress leaders and workers is a welcome move. However, as Sanjay Jha said – the accountability and responsibility has to be seen at the top. The Congress has over the years passed several resolutions at AICC sessions, but how many of them have been implemented in real spirit?
